Wasser’s task will be to end the dominance of “Red Bull” in the F-1 championship.
For 54-year-old Wasser, it will be his first job with one of the F-1 heavyweights.
“Ferrari announced today that Wasser will join Ferrari as team principal and general manager on January 9,” Ferrari said in a statement.
Vasseur will replace Lausanne-born Italian Matthias Binotto, who stepped down at the end of November after Ferrari failed to compete with Red Bull in the last F1 championship, despite a promising start to the championship.
Vasser was previously the executive director and team manager of the F-1 team “Sauber” (currently – “Alfa Romeo”), working in the team since 2017.
In 2016, he was the manager of the “Renault” team.
“Throughout his career, as an accomplished engineer, Vasseur has successfully combined his technical prowess with a consistent ability to bring out the best in his drivers and teams,” said Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna.
“This approach and his leadership skills are what we need to push Ferrari forward with new energy,” adds Vinja.
Wasser has gained a reputation as a mentor of young talent, helping future world champions Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton win the F-2 series in 2005 and 2006, respectively.
He has also been closely associated with Ferrari driver Charles Leclair since his junior years.
Leclair led the F1 championship in the early stages of the season before being overtaken by two-time world champion Red Bull’s Dutchman Max Verstappen, with Leclair finishing second by almost 150 points.
“As someone who has been passionate about motorsport all my life, Ferrari has always been associated with me at the pinnacle of the racing world,” Vasseur said.
Ferrari started the season with two wins in the first three races before being forced to concede to Red Bull and Verstappen.
Numerous pit lane errors and technical durability issues marred LeClair’s attempt to overtake Verstappen.
“Ferrari” also took second place in the Constructors’ Cup standings, but was more than 200 points behind “Red Bull”.
In 2007, Finnish pilot Kimi Raikenen brought “Ferrari” the last victory in the drivers’ world championship, and the following year the team won its last Constructors’ Cup.
