Vasseur “understands racing like few others” and can succeed at Ferrari – Grosjean

42 comments on “Vasseur “understands racing like few others” and can succeed at Ferrari – Grosjean”

1. 

   Proesterchen (@proesterchen)
   19th December 2022, 0:10

   Any managerial connections to be disclosed between Misters Grosjean and Vasseur?
   1. 

      Jere (@jerejj)
      19th December 2022, 10:56

      @proesterchen He hasn’t had any to my knowledge, or at least not for a while.
   2. 

      Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
      20th December 2022, 21:24

      @proesterchen None, but he raced for ART in 2008 (when Vasseur was a team principal there).
2. 

   HC
   19th December 2022, 4:29

   Says the crashmaster
3. 

   S
   19th December 2022, 4:47

   Hear hear, Mazepin.
   1. 

      Todfod (@todfod)
      19th December 2022, 13:26

      I don’t think Nikita realises that even if they were to separate Russia’s political standing from F1…. still no one would want an absolute garbage dump skilled driver in the sport. With the budget cap in place.. not every team is hungry for his dads money either.
      1. 

         S
         19th December 2022, 13:43

         I don’t think he’s only talking about Russia’s politics…
         Really, objectively speaking – are the EU’s politics any different to Russia’s? How they act may differ, but they are both still political beasts with their own agendas, looking primarily after their own interests.

         It shouldn’t make any difference whether teams want his talent/skill level or his family’s money – he should never be forbidden from competing in a neutral sporting activity for any reason other than his own personal actions.
         1. 

            Gavin Campbell
            19th December 2022, 14:57

            Objectively speaking the EU and Russia share precious little in terms of politics. Be that philosophically or in terms of practical application of laws and schemes.

            All countries and areas have to look after their own agendas – like lawyers in a court room – thats the point of proper debate and discourse (Something the Russians have firmly thrown in the bin).

            The problem Mazepin has is that as the son of a rich Russian Oligarch, he is intrinsically linked to Putin and the Kremlin so he’s really not the best person to make this argument. There is an argument to be had that he have to try and accept all comers in sport but that requires good will on both sides. Russia’s doping scandles along with a full scale land invasion of another sovereign nation makes that very difficult.

            Is it fair? No. But then its not exactly fair on Ukrainian atheletes who can’t compete due to having to fight a war (There is conscription in place for fit and able Males aged 18-60).
            1. 

               S
               20th December 2022, 1:32

               The problem Mazepin has is that as the son of a rich Russian Oligarch

               Yes. Not an actual Russian Oligarch himself, nor an outspoken supporter of, or participant in anything illegal.
               Yet he is considered guilty, merely by circumstance.

               As a result, I believe he is in the best position to make such a comment. It actually affects him and isn’t merely the hollow, virtue signalling words of an outsider.
               Russia may have been found guilty of doping in many sports – but motorsport was not one of them. Again, guilty by unlucky association.
               As to the war – has he personally done anything in support of it? He happily signed up to being a neutral athlete, and has never (to my knowledge) indicated he is anything but.

               Is it fair? No indeed. So why is it being supported by so many?
               It matters not in this instance whether Ukrainian athletes or other citizens have it worse off. Every person is an individual, and should not be discriminated against merely by association.
            2. 

               anon
               20th December 2022, 9:00

               S, he actually didn’t sign up as a neutral athlete – he made a public statement saying that he was considering signing as a neutral athlete, but when later asked about it, he admitted that he hadn’t actually read the documents that he was supposed to have signed, let alone sign them.

               Back in September, he then went on to state that he will now refuse to race as a neutral driver – so, you are wrong to claim that Nikita is a “neutral athlete” as he never applied to be one in the first place and has now rejected any intention of being a “neutral athlete”.

               He has also voiced support for some Russian athletes who have been sanctioned for a pro-war stance, such as Ivan Kuliak – so, whilst ostensibly claiming neutrality, he has also taken actions that seem to imply a more pro-war stance than his public position.
            3. 

               S
               20th December 2022, 10:07

               so, you are wrong to claim that Nikita is a “neutral athlete” as he never applied to be one in the first place and has now rejected any intention of being a “neutral athlete”.

               Well there you go.

               Regardless, some people have decided he isn’t wanted anyway for any number of reasons, so I doubt it would have made any difference.
            4. 

               S
               20th December 2022, 11:13

               He has also voiced support for some Russian athletes who have been sanctioned for a pro-war stance

               Supporting an athlete who has been ‘cancelled’ is not at all comparable to showing support for the war.
   2. 

      Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
      20th December 2022, 21:26

      Does Nikita understand that some of his friends are why neutrality is currently impossible in world sports?
4. 

   Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
   19th December 2022, 7:05

   athletes to interact on a fair and neutral playing field

   See Russian state doping, which is the reason they’re “banned” from the Olympics.

   untangle sports and politics

   See Russian and American boycotts of the Olympics during the cold war.
   None of this is new. He’s still just a spoilt brat upset that no one will accept his dad’s money anymore.
   1. 

      S
      19th December 2022, 7:31

      He’s still just a spoilt brat upset that no one will accept his dad’s money anymore.

      Maybe so, but he personally shouldn’t be punished for it.
      1. 

         Red Andy (@red-andy)
         19th December 2022, 9:25

         Mazepin has been personally sanctioned by the EU, not just his father.
         1. 

            S
            19th December 2022, 10:08

            Does that make his message wrong?

            The EU can do pretty much whatever they like, for any reason they like. Nationality and family connections are top of the list, regardless of there being any actual proof of wrongdoings by a given individual….
            Besides, given the ridiculousness and extremism of society these days, if they didn’t they would have been labelled as supporters of the Russian regime….
            1. 

               BasCB (@bascb)
               19th December 2022, 18:05

               The reason is that his father, and the main sponsor of Nikita’s racing hobby has been a business that has direct ties with a regime that has been murdering civilians wholesale and on purpose for about a decade now in Syria and Ukraine and is waging a brutal genocidal war in Ukraine right now “S”.

               That has little to do with politics or being neutral. And all to do with not ignoring such blatant wrongs.
            2. 

               Darryn Smith (@darryn)
               19th December 2022, 19:00

               Why does there need to be proof of wrongdoing? Russia is a brutal dictatorship invading a country that borders the EU. They can figure out if there is wrongdoing after the war that your boy Putin started.
            3. 

               Darryn Smith (@darryn)
               19th December 2022, 19:03

               There is also the fact that if Mazepin was in the league of say Verstappen or Hamilton he would absolutely still be on the grid. This is a really dumb argument that you have if you use Mazepin as the point of that argument.
            4. 

               S
               20th December 2022, 1:35

               Yes, @bascb, his father…… Not Nikita himself.
               What exactly is he supposed to do about it to show that he is worthy of being allowed to play with everyone else?

               Really, @darryn. Listen to yourself.
               No proof is required of wrongdoing? I reckon you’d feel a little differently if it was happening to you, or if someone accused you of doing some illegal or immoral and facing some form of extreme punishment.

               This is a really dumb argument

               You got that right.
            5. 

               Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
               20th December 2022, 21:30

               Yes, because his message is not neutrality (and remains not so despite the number of times he used the word), but the imposition of the Vladimir Putin’s perspective on all sport. That’s not neutral.

               There are two possibilities, given that Nikita clearly knows the definition of neutrality: either doesn’t understand why neutrality in sport is currently impossible, or is being dishonest about it (most likely because his connections oblige him to do so; I believe him to be one of Putin’s wealthier and more kindly-treated victims, but a victim nonetheless, because a gilded cage is still a cage).
   2. 

      Cranberry
      19th December 2022, 7:52

      Nothing grinds my gears more than politicization of sports, or entertainment in general.
      F1 and it’s elitist drivers are among the most hypocritical pushers of climate propaganda there is. Average people need to downsize their entire lives, and live in accordance to a 90’s standard of living, so that these elites can keep consuming their mansions, hypercars, and private jets.

      That said, Russia, their oligarchs, and Mazepin are getting precisely the treatment they should be getting. Some might say the treatment is not dismissive enough, and if only it started a decade earlier this entire war would’ve been avoided…
      1. 

         Matthias
         19th December 2022, 12:56

         Wish american oligarchs would get the same treatment. They are responsible for far shadier and sinister things.
         The EU being a passive-aggressive collection of irrelevant paper-pushing nobodies is nothing new though.

         However, the ongoing witch hunt nowadays is eerily reminiscent to the atrocities of the 30’s committed against a certain ethnic group because of their perceived wealth and power.
      2. 

         ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
         19th December 2022, 19:16

         Cranberry- The cognitive dissonance in your comment grinds my gears. Your first sentence completely contradicts what follows. If you listened to yourself better then you might hear that the lack of politicization in sport is what is actually grinding those gears of yours. It is sometimes hard to separate the bread from the circuses.
5. 

   Jason (@jasonj)
   19th December 2022, 7:53

   I didn’t see Mazepin complaining at Sochi when Putin had a personal grandstand viewing platform. He was big nothing himself about sports and politics when he was benefiting from state funds poured into F1 by politicians attempting to gain favour by associating themselves with sporting events all over the world.

   Mazepin is a shellfish child with immature views and a whole backpack full of hypocrisy.

   All that said, in an ideal world politics would be a silent nuisance of trustworthy busy workers that was rarely seen that facilitated infrastructure and little else.

   In a way, I’d have liked to see Mazepin waste his father’s money for 10 years and still remain the least successful driver in recent history, I’m sure Latifi would have loved Nikita around to make not the worst driver of the crop.
   1. 

      Jason (@jasonj)
      19th December 2022, 7:55

      *big noting himself….
   2. 

      SteveP
      19th December 2022, 11:42

      @jasonj

      Quite right, it would have so much more meaningful if the comments hadn’t come from someone who is so deep in the pool of “mire” (polite version) that surrounds the attempt to re-make the Russian empire.
      The days of empires are long gone (despite what the Brexiteers might think)

      Just as a thought for the day – given the money centric viewpoint of F1, just how bad does a country have to be before F1 treat them as a pariah? Russia hit the limit, how close are the likes of Qatar?
      1. 

         Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
         20th December 2022, 21:32

         The limit is, as far as I can tell, when it becomes illegal to trade with that country. Qatar’s not even in the same district as “pariah”.
   3. 

      Todfod (@todfod)
      19th December 2022, 13:29

      If Latifi and Mazepin were to be in the same team.. I can’t even imagine the motivation levels of that team .. and the patience required by the team principal. I’d be rooting for Latifi to make Mazepin cry every weekend though.
   4. 

      ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
      19th December 2022, 19:22

      I agree with your comments, and laughed out loud at “shellfish” child, as a pun on his sheltered state, or the petroleum state, or auto-incorrect, as you will.
6. 

   EffWunFan (@cairnsfella)
   19th December 2022, 9:54

   A quick thanks for the caption ‘win’ this week.

   I’m not sure it was my best attempt to date, and there were some other great entries, but I am nonetheless most chuffed to round out the year with a selection having made so many attempts to date. Many thanks.
   1. 

      Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
      20th December 2022, 21:33

      @cairnsfella Congratulations! *beep boop*
7. 

   Steve (@duuxdeluxe)
   19th December 2022, 10:47

   so that we can gain a greater understanding and acceptance

   Some things are just bad Mazepin and do not deserve time spend trying to see it from another point of view. If an entire country can’t behave themselves, with the exception of a few, you have no place being, well, frankly anywhere other than your country.

   See it as a slightly more drastic lockdown.
   1. 

      Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
      20th December 2022, 21:36

      @duuxdeluxe A lot of Russians would “behave themselves” if their leadership let them. Bear in mind that Russia would have run out of troops already were it not for conscription, including from places where people’s ability to understand (let alone decline) the conscription is questionable.
8. 

   Jere (@jerejj)
   19th December 2022, 11:01

   I’m looking forward to seeing how Fred fares in a big team with higher pressure, especially if race management & strategy are still subpar.

   Dissolution effectively makes Circuit Paul Ricard a non-option as a Chinese GP replacement, if Chinese GP gets substituted at all.

   More likely suitors in series other than F1 as other drivers are ahead in priority order for teams.
   1. 

      Todfod (@todfod)
      19th December 2022, 13:31

      @jerejj

      My gut tells me that Ferrari will be stronger with Vasseur. He seems like he knows the job better. This was Binotto’s first dance as team principal.. and the dude had two left feet.

      I’m not sure if he can get them a championship … but I think he’ll come closer than Binotto did, and when he does leave the team, he’ll leave them in better shape.
      1. 

         Stew
         20th December 2022, 12:00

         I don’t think the problem was Binotto, it was the Company Chief who declared that an Engineer should be Team Principal !

         The only people who have been successful as F1 principals have been those with a particular bent as “people-people” nad who have shown a great flair for those management skills – Binotto was a fantastic Engineer, that does not mean he was going to be a fantastic Top Man.

         In Management circles this is known as “being promoted beyond his level of competence” and the consequences of that are between the Sack (however it’s scripted), and a sideways shuffle (like MM and I don’t mean Miss Monroe).

         I feel sorry for Mr Binotto, as it wasn’t his fault – it belonged to the Short sighted management who appointed him.
   2. 

      ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
      19th December 2022, 19:26

      Bringing Vasseur on board is perhaps the best call Ferrari made all year. It will be very interesting to see how quickly the course of a juggernaut like Ferrari can be corrected.
9. 

   Dani B. Molina (@esmiz)
   19th December 2022, 19:35

   Of all those who could say it, Mazepin is perhaps the least appropriate to say this. But that does not mean that he is 100% right in what he says.

   Yes, there have been Olympic boycotts and the like in the past. But I thought that humanity, as a species, had overcome those things. Obviously not.
10. 

    hyoko
    19th December 2022, 21:55

    People can make all the ad hominem arguments they want. But still I think Nikita is right this time.
    1. 

       Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
       20th December 2022, 21:37

       Sadly, he does not appear to recognise why it is currently impossible to have the sporting neutrality he wants.

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