That was one of the glaring problems with the former’s plans to announce a move to Faenza on Wednesday following rumors of his possible departure.

Vasseur remains bullish, insisting Ferrari is essentially a large organization rather than individuals.

However, there is no doubt that Vassell counts his fellow Frenchman and longtime friend as one of his key assistants in the coming years as he tries to rebuild Ferrari into a winning team.

Inevitably, the plans he had been making would now have to change as he moved personnel.

The fact that Mekies will stay on for the foreseeable future and won’t leave until sometime in 2024 says a lot.

First, it all happened very quickly and he was temporarily required to perform his day-to-day duties, and second, it was still an amicable situation. He wasn’t sent on immediate leave, which sometimes happens instantly when a key player puts his hand up and says I’m leaving.

Indeed, Vasseur insists he is delighted to see Mekies have the opportunity to join the team principal’s exclusive club, while acknowledging that the exact details and timing of his departure have yet to be agreed.

Ferrari Press Conference Racing Director Laurent Mekies

Photography: FIA Pool

“First of all, I think this is a huge opportunity for Laurent,” he said. “And I’m also thinking that I have a good relationship with him and I’m definitely not going to stop Laurent.

“And then, if you talk about the timeline, I think Toro Rosso (sic) might have been a little aggressive with the press release, we have a long-term contract with Laurent. We’re going to have to discuss the details.”

Vasseur confirmed that no decision has yet been made on how long Mekies will serve on the front line at Ferrari.

“It will depend on changing conditions. As I said before, we have a long-term contract with him and we have to find the best fit for Ferrari, depending on when he leaves the company and when he moves to Toro Rosso. , we will decide the end of the cooperation.

“But I’m not scared of it because we’ll handle it and our relationship is very positive.”

So when did Mekies tell his boss he wanted to leave?

“It’s a relationship between Laurent and me, and I won’t reveal the details,” Vassell said.

“But we had a very open discussion about it because I’ve known Laurent for 30 years. And I think it’s hard to say no to that kind of offer to him. He’s very open to discussion.

“I could absolutely put myself in Laurent’s shoes. And I think when you’re in this business to be a team leader, it’s hard to say no.

“Right now I’m there to protect Ferrari’s interests. This is Ferrari number one, and it will always be Ferrari number one, which means we’re going to have to discuss the terms of that.”

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23

Photography: Ferrari

Vasseur also believes Mekies will do well. From his first stint at Toro Rosso until his move to Ferrari in 2018, the 45-year-old has worked at the FIA ​​as safety director and deputy racing director and thus sees the sport from a very different perspective. At Maranello, he has comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of the team.

“If you’re looking for a team principal in F1, you don’t have that many people who know F1, the FIA, etc.,” Vasseur said. You have a list of five to 10 people.

“I think he has a very, very broad understanding of the business, from racing engineers to the FIA. Of course, in this kind of work, you’re looking for someone who has a thorough understanding of the business. And I think he’ll do a good job. “

An interesting aspect is that many see Mekis as a future Ferrari principal, acting as his second-in-command.

In fact, before Vasseur was endorsed, he could have been Mattia Binotto’s potential successor. So, will he become depressed after missing it?

“I think you have to ask Laurent,” Vasseur said.

“That means, if it’s Laurent’s personal goal, I can totally understand that. You have to be ambitious, Laurent is an ambitious guy and I think he’s done a good job for Ferrari. I can understand the motivation and Expect it.”

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23, Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri AT04

Photography: Lionel Ng / motorsport pictures

So what’s next for Ferrari? Mekis dabbled in a lot of ground at Maranello and later as sporting director one of his main jobs was to liaise with the FIA. Vasseur said it was too early to say how and by whom he would be replaced.

Regardless, the team has been hiring key people, but has not told the world about it, he added.

“He’s the sporting director, so there’s a big hole. It’s going to be part of a restructuring of the company. You know we’re in a long process and it’s going to take time, but we’re hiring a lot of people out there and you’ll have names very quickly.

“But it will be part of a reorganization where we can split the work into two different positions as some other teams have done.”

His friend’s imminent departure is clearly a personal blow to Vasseur, but he insists the team will address the issue.

“It’s not a drama to lose someone in 1600,” he said. “The strength of the team is always greater than the strength of the individual, and the strength of the team is greater than the strength of the individual. We have to keep that in mind, above all the group.

“The group is there. We’re recruiting at scale – we’re not communicating but we’re recruiting at scale. We’ll do it incrementally because you can’t build an organization in two weeks, you fully understand the recruitment system in F1, it’s pretty long. and painful.

“We’re doing it. But don’t expect that one day you’ll have a new organization. It’s going to be gradual, and we’re taking some steps.”

Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari team principal and general manager

Photography: Simon Galloway/ motorsport pictures

With senior engineer David Sanchez recently departing ahead of his move to McLaren in 2024, it’s starting to look like an exodus of key players, but Vassell says it’s just normal F1 business.

He reiterated the bigger picture as he tries to turn the team into a winning machine again.

“In every team, you have to build your team and build something.

“Now let’s be clear, we’re talking, and definitely not about Laurent and Laurent’s game or something, but we’re talking about two guys in a group of over 1,000 people.

“Of course, the individual is important, but it’s nothing compared to the group. We have to build something on the team rather than the individual.

“Well, Laurent decided to move, and as I said before, I fully respect Laurent’s decision because I think it’s an opportunity for anyone. But this mid-term will not affect Ferrari’s development.

“When you have more than 1000 employees, you have a turnover rate of 6-7%, which means we have 100 people leaving and joining the company every year. Sometimes from a staff perspective, you (the media) will focus on a two.

“We have 100 people joining the company every year, half from other teams and half from other businesses.

“That means sometimes you pay a lot of attention to the name. But that’s not what drives performance.”

Ferrari

Photography: Mark Sutton/ motorsport pictures