Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner says:
"It is great to bring Daniel back into the Red Bull family. He has enormous talent and such a brilliant character; I know the whole factory is excited to be welcoming him home. In his role as test and third driver, Daniel will give us the chance to diversify, assisting in the development of the car, aiding the Team with his experience and knowledge of what it takes to succeed in F1. We’re very pleased to be working with Daniel again and look forward to everything he will bring to the Team in 2023".
Daniel Ricciardo says:
"The smile says it all, I’m truly excited to be coming back home to Oracle Red Bull Racing as their Third Driver in 2023. I already have so many fond memories of my time here, but the welcome from Christian, Dr Marko and the entire team is something I’m sincerely appreciative of. For me personally, the ability to contribute to and be surrounded by the best team in F1 is hugely appealing, whilst also giving me some time to recharge and refocus. I can’t wait to be with the team and support with simulator work, testing sessions and commercial activities. Let’s go".
On November 29, 2022, important news come from Maranello. Ferrari announces that it has accepted the resignation of Mattia Binotto who will leave his role as Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal on December 31. Benedetto Vigna comments:
"I would like to thank Mattia for his many great contributions over 28 years with Ferrari and particularly for leading the team back to a position of competitiveness during this past year. As a result, we are in a strong position to renew our challenge, above all for our amazing fans around the world, to win the ultimate prize in motorsport. Everyone here at the Scuderia and in the wider Ferrari community wishes Mattia well for the future".
Mattia Binotto says:
"With the regret that this entails, I have decided to conclude my collaboration with Ferrari. I am leaving a company that I love, which I have been part of for 28 years, with the serenity that comes from the convinction that I have made every effort to achieve the objectives set. I leave a united and growing team. A strong team, ready, I’m sure, to achieve the highest goals, to which I wish all the best for the future. I think it is right to take this step at this time as hard as this decision has been for me. I would like to thank all the people at the Gestione Sportiva who have shared this journey with me, made up of difficulties but also of great satisfaction".
The process is underway to identify Scuderia Ferrari’s new Team Principal and is expected to be finalised in the new year. We now have to wait until March 2023 for the first race of the 2023 Formula 1 season, the Bahrain Grand Prix. It will be an interesting event, due to all the changes made in several teams, so all eyes will be on track. It closes with this news this chaotic Formula 1 World Championship. The hope, as far as the 2023 season is concerned, is that we can see more action among the top positions, that Mercedes can return to fight for victory, and that Scuderia Ferrari can regain some serenity after years of great difficulty. Ahead of the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship season, monday, December 12, 2022 Williams Racing announces that, after two years at the helm of the Grove-based outfit as CEO and Team Principal, Jost Capito is stepping aside. Technical Director FX Demaison will leave his post after joining in 2021. Williams Racing will announce its new Team Principal and Technical Director in due course. Jost Capito says:
"It has been a huge privilege to lead Williams Racing for the last two seasons and to lay the foundations for the turnaround of this great team. I look forward to watching the team as it continues on its path to future success".
And Matthew Savage, Chairman, Dorilton Capital, adds:
"We would like to thank Jost for his hard work and dedication as we embarked on a major transformation process to begin the journey of reviving Williams Racing. We’re grateful that Jost postponed his planned retirement to take on this challenge and now he will pass the reins on for the next part of this staged process. We would also like to thank FX for his contribution and wish him all the best for his future as he moves on".
The next day, Tuesday, December 13, 2022, Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN Team Principal and Sauber Motorsport CEO, Frédéric Vasseur, will leave the company in January 2023, following six successful seasons at the helm of the team. The announcement marks the final chapter of a personal and professional path of growth for both the team and the man, a journey that culminated in Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN clinching its best result in the Formula One constructors’ standings in a decade with sixth place in the 2022 season. This is a moment that marks the end of an era - a moment in which our team takes stock of the changes that took place under the stewardship of Vasseur. Appointing Fred was one of the first acts of the new shareholder of the team, in 2017: the popular Frenchman joined a team stuck at the back of the grid and struggling to attract talent. Through relentless work, belief in the team’s own potential and shrewd management, things improved under Fred’s watch: points became a regular target; partners started adorning the once-blank bodywork of the car; employee numbers kept ticking up. Progress on and off track was followed by a growing sense of confidence in Hinwil: confidence that this team could once again be at the sharp end of the grid; confidence that things would get better season after season; confidence that top talent would once again flourish in the sole reality of motorsport in the Zürcher Oberland. This all stemmed from Fred’s own sense of confidence: not in himself, but in the project that was presented to him in 2017 - a project in which he was one of the first to believe. Frédéric Vasseur leaves a team bolstered by new partners, a growing workforce and with a bright future as the works team for a manufacturer in the not-too-far distance. He leaves as a friend, a mentor, a boss that could extract the best out of his charges: and, as we enter a new chapter of the history of our team, we will miss the smiles and jokes that would accompany him as he did the rounds in our Hinwil HQ. Merci, Fred, et bonne chance. We’ll be cheering for you wherever you go next. Frédéric Vasseur says:
"As I prepare to bring my adventure at Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN to an end, I can look back fondly at these six years together. I owe a debt of gratitude to every single employee of the team, as they are the ones who got this team back on their feet and climbing the ladder of our sport. I am proud of the job we collectively have done as a team and a company, and even more so of the strong foundations we have laid for what’s to come next: but what I am the proudest of is the people that made this all possible, which in time have become friends. This team will always feel like home and I’ll be rooting for it wherever I go. I have learnt so much during my stint as a CEO and Team Principal and I feel each day has equipped me for what is to come. I know Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN will keep going from strength to strength and I’m looking forward to seeing them compete at the business end of the grid in the next few years".
Finn Rausing, Sauber Holding AG Chairman of the Board of Directors, adds:
"Frédéric gave our team six years of inspiring leadership and hard work, helping rebuild our company and our team. He was able to encourage every one of us into giving our best and the increasingly good results we have enjoyed are testament to the quality of his performance at the helm of the team. He was the first to believe in our project and he leaves a team in a much stronger, healthier position than when he arrived, with a bright future ahead of us, which is all that could have been asked of him. I am sure I echo everyone in the team when I wish Fred every success in his future endeavours".
Simultaneously, Scuderia Ferrari today announced that Fred Vasseur will join Scuderia Ferrari on 9 January as Team Principal and General Manager. Commenting on the appointment, Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna said:
"We are delighted to welcome Fred Vasseur to Ferrari as our Team Principal. Throughout his career he has successfully combined his technical strengths as a trained engineer with a consistent ability to bring out the best in his drivers and teams. This approach and his leadership are what we need to push Ferrari forward with renewed energy".
And Fred Vasseur commented:
"I am truly delighted and honoured to take over the leadership of Scuderia Ferrari as Team Principal. As someone who has always held a lifelong passion for motorsport, Ferrari has always represented the very pinnacle of the racing world to me. I look forward to working with the talented and truly passionate team in Maranello to honour the history and heritage of the Scuderia and deliver for our Tifosi around the world".
In adds, McLaren Racing announces that Andrea Stella will move from Executive Director, Racing to F1 Team Principal with immediate effect. Andreas Seidl will leave the team and then move on to another challenge. Andrea has a wealth of F1 experience and has proven successful both on and off the track. He has been a key member of the McLaren F1 team since 2015, working as Head of Race Operations, Performance Director and since 2019 as Executive Director, Racing. Andrea began his career with 15-years at Ferrari, including as Performance Engineer for Michael Schumacher and Kimi Räikkönen (2002-2008) and then as Race Engineer for Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso (2009-2015). Andrea has a degree in Aerospace Engineering, and subsequently completed a PhD in Mechanical Engineering. Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, said:
"I'm delighted that Andrea Stella will step into the Team Principal role and lead our F1 technical and operational programme. Andrea is a highly talented, experienced and respected member of our team with a strong track record of leadership and success in Formula 1. His move into this role is a great example of the strength in depth we have in our team, and I'm excited to be working more closely with him with a joint focus on moving up the grid and winning races. I've really enjoyed working with Andreas. He has provided great leadership for the team and has played a significant part in our F1 performance recovery plan and ongoing journey to return to the front of the grid. I thank him for the transparency throughout the process which gave us time to plan accordingly".
Andrea Stella, new F1 Team Principal, McLaren Racing, said:
"I feel privileged to take on the Team Principal role as the next stage of being part of the McLaren F1 Team. I am grateful to Zak and the Shareholders for their trust in me and to all my colleagues and those who have supported me throughout my F1 career. We are realistic about the amount of work ahead of us to move back up the grid, but I am excited and encouraged that I am in this journey together with a team full of talent, experience, racing spirit and dedication. I look forward to working closely with each of them, Lando and Oscar, to together achieving great success and enjoying the journey".
Andreas Seidl, former F1 Team Principal, McLaren F1 Team, said:
"I joined McLaren in 2019 and have really enjoyed working with Zak and the team. We have achieved some good results, and I will always have fond memories, with Monza being a personal and career highlight. The team is on a great trajectory, and I would like to thank everyone for their support, trust and commitment. Thanks to Zak and the shareholders for their understanding of my personal decision to move on to another challenge. I wish Andrea and the team all the best for the future".
Finally, Sauber Group is delighted to announce the appointment of Andreas Seidl as its new Chief Executive Officer. Seidl will start in his new role in January 2023 and will be tasked with continuing the growth of the group as a whole as Sauber keeps establishing itself as one of the brightest sporting and industrial entities on the market. Born in Passau, Germany, Andreas Seidl began his motorsport career with BMW’s Formula 1 project, where he also worked as Head of Track Operations at Sauber for some years. As Team Principal at Porsche, Seidl later celebrated several world championships and three overall victories at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans between 2015 and 2017, before moving on to become Team Principal of the McLaren F1 Team in 2019. Seidl will take over the CEO position from predecessor, Frédéric Vasseur; together with the team Seidl will now work on the appointment of its new Team Principal, which will be communicated in due course. Andreas Seidl, CEO of Sauber Group:
"It is great to join the Sauber Group from January: this is a team with a rich history in Formula One and an organisation I know really well from my time working and living in Hinwil for four years. I can’t wait to join the team and work with all the colleagues at the Sauber Group on the ambitious goals we have set together. I want to thank Finn Rausing and everyone at the Sauber Group for their choice: I am looking forward to repaying their trust with my work".
Finn Rausing, Sauber Holding AG Chairman of the Board of Directors:
"It is an immense pleasure to welcome Andreas Seidl back to Hinwil as CEO of the Sauber Group. Andreas’s experience is second to none and he brings to Sauber Group a clear understanding of what is required to achieve sustained success. He takes over a company on an upward path and he shares our commitment to keeping our organisation growing: I look forward to many years of success together".