Vasseur leaves Spielberg for "personal reasons," D'Ambrosio takes over

The Spielberg paddock will have to cope with a smile less this Sunday. Frédéric Vasseur, Ferrari's Team Principal, has returned home for "personal reasons," the TeamIt is his number 2, the Belgian Jérôme D'Ambrosio, who takes the lead for the Austrian Grand Prix.

After a successful qualifying session for the Reds, there were many reasons for hope. Charles Leclerc will start on the front row for the second time this season, while his teammate Lewis Hamilton also equals his best performance in qualifying, 4th, if we omit the Sprints.

Ferrari was all the more optimistic as his car is usually more competitive in the race than in qualifying. This performance therefore demonstrated the good functioning of the improvements made to Spielberg, even if a gulf remained compared to the McLaren. Leclerc in fact completed qualifying more than half a second behind Norris, the biggest gap between a poleman and his runner-up this season.

D'Ambrosio, the ideal profile to take over?

The race, the unpredictability of the Spielberg track, and the opportunity to play with strategies gave the Reds hope, but they will have to cope without Frédéric Vasseur. Ferrari has not provided further information on the reasons for his departure, nor on his presence in Great Britain next weekend.

For the moment, the Scuderia will be able to rely on the experience of Jérôme D'Ambrosio. Former driver of Formula 1 at Marussia and freelancer at Lotus, the Belgian was then the right-hand man of Toto wolff. Arriving at Ferrari on October 1, 2024, at the same time as Loïc Serra, D'Ambrosio has since held the position of Deputy Team Principal.

After nine months alongside Vasseur, no one doubts his ability to lead the team. However, being thrust into the driver's seat at the Scuderia doesn't normally happen on a Sunday morning, just hours before a Grand Prix. The race in Spielberg will be a testament to the Belgian and Ferrari's adaptability.

ALSO READ > Austrian GP on the calendar until 2041