(Motorsports news) After Mattia Binotto left Maranello in January, former Alfa Romeo team principal Vasseur assumed control. One of his main responsibilities was to add some significant hires to the team, which was difficult given how long it takes to find essential candidates because they are on gardening leave.

The loss of two key Ferrari personnel—race director Laurent Mekies to AlphaTauri and senior design engineer David Sanchez to McLaren—left vacancies that needed to be addressed, making the job much more challenging.

Although Loic Serra, director of Mercedes performance, has already been hired by Vasseur, it is currently anticipated that he won’t be able to begin working until 2025. When asked how close he was to assembling the team he desired, Vasseur responded that the work would never be completed.

We are far apart, he explained, because doing his duties doesn’t require you to picture a flawless framework. “You must always modify and strive for improvement. If you maintain the same structure for two consecutive years, you will perish since all the others will advance. It implies that I am unable to state with certainty that I must take a certain action and that it will be successful. That would be foolish.

“Because some themes are a little bit longer than others, we will make some modifications in the upcoming weeks, months, and years. However, it is constantly evolving and getting better. According to Vasseur, the team is starting to understand where it needs to go with their 2024 vehicle.

Yes, he replied, “We are beginning to have a much better understanding of the situation, and where we are weak, and where we are in better position. “However, I’ll keep this for myself. Sorry! But it’s undeniable that as the races go on, we start to have a much clearer view of the situation. 

After Charles Leclerc finished a strong third in Spa last weekend, Vasseur emphasized that he was keeping his feet on the ground. “I would stay very calm, because we had the same [press] meeting one week ago, and we were at the end of the world, and McLaren was flying, and we were stupid, and so on,” he advised. 

“On Sunday, McLaren is at the back, where it has always been McLaren, and we are in front. It implies that we must remain composed and relaxed throughout each race. We are aware of how tightly packed everything is, therefore you can only move from P2 to P11 for one or two items.

And the season isn’t over yet; there is still much work to be done. However, concluding the first half of the season on a positive note is definitely a wonderful thing. We will at least have two weeks free with a successful race in mind.

Also read: Ricciardo is looking for solutions after having trouble getting the AlphaTauri F1 car to “bite”