New Ferrari boss Frederic Vassuer ‘told off’ for friendship with Mercedes rival Toto Wolff | F1 | Sport

New Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur was reportedly told off for his friendship with his Mercedes rival Toto Wolff. According to Italian newspaper Corrierre della Sera, the relationship has caused some tension between Vasseur and Ferrari CEO Bernadetto Vigna.

New Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur was reportedly told off for his friendship with his Mercedes rival Toto Wolff.

According to Italian newspaper Corrierre della Sera, the relationship has caused some tension between Vasseur and Ferrari CEO Bernadetto Vigna.

There is apparently concern around Vasseur’s decision to fly to Bahrain’s pre-season test alongside Wolff.

Vasseur and Wolff briefly lived together when the Frenchman first moved to the UK back in 2016.

The pair’s closeness was brought up ahead of the new season but was dismissed by the new Ferrari boss as not being an issue.

On the contrary, Vasseur seemed to believe it could be a positive politically for the Scuderia

There is apparently concern around Vasseur’s decision to fly to Bahrain’s pre-season test alongside Wolff. Vasseur and Wolff briefly lived together when the Frenchman first moved to the UK back in 2016.

The pair’s closeness was brought up ahead of the new season but was dismissed by the new Ferrari boss as not being an issue. On the contrary, Vasseur seemed to believe it could be a positive politically for the Scuderia.

He said: “I think globally, it’s an advantage, but we have to be clever. I know that we will fight on track, we will fight with the stewards, we will fight in the FIA, and we will fight for the Concorde Agreement. This is life.

“But, at the end of the day, I think for the global picture, it’s an advantage also to have a very good collaboration between teams.

“And on this side, when the common interest of the teams or F1 will be to have discussions and to find an agreement, I think it will be a huge advantage to have a good relationship.”

However, his friendship with the Austrian is not the only concern as tensions rise at the Scuderia after a difficult first race. Charles Leclerc lacked considerable pace to the Red Bulls in Sakhir and was only likely to finish P3 before suffering mechanical issues.

The Monegasque ground to a halt in the closing stages just a year on from leading a Ferrari one-two at the opening race of the 2022 season. It is understood Leclerc flew to Maranello after Bahrain for crisis talks with Ferrari president John Elkann.

The 25-year-old is understood to be more unhappy about the lack of competitiveness than the reliability issues. Race director Laurent Mekies is also believed to be considering his future at the team in what could be another blow.

Italian media have claimed Vasseur is already “fed up” in the role due to the lack of freedom from Ferrari executives. But the Prancing Horse did receive some good news with engineers confident they have found the cause of Leclerc’s failure after a thorough investigation.

It is likely the retirement was down to inadequate fastening between the engine and the chassis.