Chief strategist Inaki Rueda, who was at the helm of Scuderia Ferrari in 2022, has been transferred to Maranello’s remote race control unit amid team changes. Racing strategy was a major weakness for Ferrari last season, with several misjudgments, including the Monaco F1 Grand Prix, costing Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz major points in races they should have won.
Along with engine reliability issues, the strategic missteps have led to a reduction in the strong momentum that Ferrari and Leclerc enjoyed at the start of their 2023 campaign. Ultimately, the team’s mistakes and shortcomings led to the boss team Mattia Binotto resigns at the end of the season and is replaced by Alfa Romeo/Sauber team boss Fred Vasseur. Arriving in Maranello in mid-January, Vasseur conducted a detailed analysis of Ferrari’s strategic process. “When you talk about strategy or aerodynamics or any other topic, you have to avoid focusing only on the top of the pyramid,” Vasseur said earlier this year when asked about possible changes to the team’s strategy department. “When you talk about strategy, it’s very often more of an organizational issue than people on the pit wall.” And I want to know if it’s a decision-making problem, an organizational problem, or a communication problem.” Rabin Jain will stand on the pit wall as his successor. Jain has a first-class degree in Physics and a Masters in Mathematics and Theoretical Physics from the University of Oxford. Vasseur also revealed the responsibilities of Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies, as well as his own. Mekies will be responsible for team operations, while Vasseur will be responsible for dealing with drivers, sponsors and the media.
