11. Frederic Vasseur

Frederic Vasseur, born on May 28, 1968, in Draveil, France, has built a career deeply intertwined with motorsport innovation and leadership. After earning his degree in Aeronautical Engineering from ESTACA in Paris in 1995, Vasseur had already begun carving his path in racing. In 1992, while still a student, he founded RPM to prepare Formula 3 engines for Renault—a bold move that signalled his lifelong commitment to high-performance racing.

By 1996, he launched ASM, a Formula 3 team that quickly made waves. Under his leadership, ASM claimed the French title in 1998 with David Saelens and dominated the European F3 scene with four consecutive titles between 2004 and 2007. Those championship-winning drivers—Jamie Green, Lewis Hamilton, Paul Di Resta, and Romain Grosjean—would go on to make their own marks in Formula 1.

Vasseur’s talent for developing young racers and teams didn’t stop there. In 2004, he co-founded ART Grand Prix, a powerhouse in GP2 and GP3 that delivered eight team championships and launched stars like Charles Leclerc, who won the GP3 Series title in 2016 under Vasseur’s watch.

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Always one to push technical boundaries, Vasseur founded AOTech in 2010 to focus on simulation and computational fluid dynamics, and Spark Racing Technology in 2012, which became the exclusive chassis supplier for the FIA Formula E Championship starting in 2014.

His Formula 1 career began in 2016 as Team Principal at Renault. A year later, he joined Sauber, helping transform the team into Alfa Romeo Racing. In a major move, Vasseur was appointed Team Principal and General Manager of Scuderia Ferrari at the end of 2022—arguably the most prestigious role in the F1 paddock. As of July 8, 2024, he also serves as Ferrari’s interim Technical Director for the Chassis Area, deepening his influence on the team’s performance.

From nurturing world champions to shaping Ferrari’s future, Frederic Vasseur remains a pivotal figure in Formula 1, where engineering precision meets relentless competition.

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