James Vowles stepped in to defend Fred Vasseur following persistent rumors about the Ferrari team principal’s future
On Friday in Malaysia, discussions continued around Ferrari’s leadership situation. Recently, the Maranello team released a statement reaffirming their trust in Vasseur. However, at Sepang, support also came unexpectedly from James Vowles.
and on Google News to improve the quality of the articles
The English engineer voiced his backing for his colleague during the press conference held between the two practice sessions at the Malaysian GP weekend. Williams’ Team Principal made his views known on Vasseur’s work, aiming to put an end to the ongoing speculations.
James Vowles praises Vasseur’s work managing Ferrari
Aside from the return to Sepang, the main topic this weekend was the Frenchman’s position within Ferrari. Addressing this at the Team Principals’ press conference, Vowles stepped in to defend Vasseur and openly praised his efforts.
“I’d like to add something. Usually, teams are fighting and stabbing each other in the back, but Ferrari has held the best position in the championship for some time now,” he told media outlets including F1inGenerale.
“This year, they introduced innovations to the car like the rear wing and the modified exhaust, which we have all ended up copying,” he explained.
According to the former Mercedes strategist, there should be no doubts about Vasseur’s role: “It’s a team doing a brilliant job. So, from my perspective, there’s no question Fred is the right person for the job.”
Flavio Briatore, who was also present at the conference, chimed in with a lighthearted remark about Vowles’ defense: “You’re the right lawyer,” he joked.
Initially, Ferrari’s stance on Vasseur had been questioned directly to the Frenchman. Instead, the Grove Team Principal surprisingly took the microphone to defend his “rival.” Later, both Briatore and Vowles acknowledged the heavier pressure faced by those working at Maranello, while Fred admitted being aware of both the challenges and rewards of working for the Scuderia.