Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has given a ringing endorsement to under-fire Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur, saying “they won’t get anyone better.”
Ferrari have failed to live up to the hype that came with the arrival of Lewis Hamilton this season, raising the pressure on Vasseur.
Large parts of the Italian media appear to have turned on the Frenchman, with numerous reports over the past month he is on the verge of being replaced.
“Fred [Vasseur] is one of the best racing managers that I know,” Wolff, who led Mercedes to eight constructors’ championships between 2014 and 2021, said.
“If I wasn’t here, I would take Fred. So, I respect him a lot. He’s a great personality. He’s a straightforward guy. He doesn’t do politics and lies, and he knows what he’s talking about.
“He’s perfectly aware that in Italy, he’s like managing the football national team and you’re going to have the scrutiny from the media. Maybe that’s something you need to grow a little bit of a thick skin [for], because if he wins, he is Jesus Christ. And if you lose, you’re a loser.
“That’s how Italy is, and that’s fantastic. That’s the passion that’s there and you’ve got to embrace that. And maybe that’s something he needs to learn. But he should be given the confidence to run this team. They won’t get anybody better.”
Wolff, who has led Mercedes since 2013, said Ferrari should consider the importance of longevity.
“In Formula 1 you can’t buy time, and you need to give senior leadership the time to get on top of things. Jean Todt, if I’m not wrong, joined the team [Ferrari] in 1993. They won the first championship in 2000. Eight years. That’s how it goes.
“And it comes in cycles. Look at us. I’m not enjoying being in a phase that it’s the third year in a row that we’re not fighting for a championship. We’re not useless. We have really good weekends. We’re winning races. It’s respectable at times. And when it’s not good, nobody’s questioning whether the top guy is doing a good job or not.
“Leave him the space. Let him do. Allow him to structure an organisation that isn’t going to grip from day one. Loic [Sera] is there six months or seven months. They need to just let them do [work].”
Source: espn.com