Martin Brundle in Ferrari’s group supervisor changes: ” I’d be beaming if I were Red Bull or Mercedes right now, because continuity is everything.” Brundle regarding McLaren’s: It will make Lando Norris wonder, “Why has Andreas Seidl jumped ship?”
With a reshuffle of team managers on Tuesday, Formula 1’s off-season became a “silly season.”
Frederic Vasseur was confirmed as Binotto’s successor at Ferrari, and Seidl left McLaren to take over for Sauber.
Vasseur, whose appointment was less of a surprise and will begin on January 9, will be tasked with transforming Ferrari from title challengers into winners for the first time.
Brundle, notwithstanding, trusts the planning of the “basic” change will leave Ferrari’s primary opponents Mercedes and Red Bull “grinning”.
You need to be careful about these sea changes in personnel as Formula 1 seasons get longer and more intense.
“It is a challenging task for Fred Vasseur to enter, establish himself, and comprehend.
Because it is such a fundamental shift, it must destabilize them immediately. In terms of where they stand and what comes next, everyone will be slightly off balance. They’ll be stuck.
This year, Mercedes’ record eight-year winning streak came to an end as they finished third, falling short of Ferrari and Red Bull, the dominant champions. Brundle, however, added: They will be grinning since they understand what’s up with their vehicle and I think they’ll return with a lot more grounded in 2023.
The biggest surprise of Tuesday was Seidl’s departure from McLaren after three years, even though CEO.
Zak Brown revealed that Seidl would still be leaving for Sauber in 2025.
McLaren has promoted Andrea Stella from within due to Seidl’s fast-tracked move to Sauber to oversee its transformation into the Audi F1 team. Brundle is not panicking about his former team, but he believes Seidl’s departure is a blow.
Brundle also claims that Norris didn’t need it.
Norris has become one of the most exciting young drivers in Formula One in recent years, but unlike George Russell and Charles Leclerc, he has not yet raced or won a championship.
Despite his McLaren contract until the end of 2025, Norris frequently expressed frustration this season.
Brundle stated, “The big thing for McLaren is their new wind tunnel in 2024.” Therefore, Lando will consider it and wonder, “Why has Andreas jumped ship?”
“Oscar [Piastri], a new signing, will also be disappointed because he would have done everything he could with Andreas to get Lando to stay and Oscar to join.
“There is a good structure at McLaren, Lando is very close to Zak (Brown), and he is doing a great job there. You can’t take this as good news, even though I have no anxiety whatsoever for them.