Brundle’s verdict on Ferrari change: ‘Mercedes and Red Bull will be smiling'

A dramatic F1 managerial merry-go-round has been sparked into life during the off-season following a reshuffle at Ferrari, with Frederic Vasseur confirmed as Mattia Binotto’s successor earlier this week. 

That was almost immediately followed by the announcement of Andreas Seidl’s fast-tracked departure from McLaren to become CEO at Sauber, effectively replacing Vasseur.  

But former F1 driver-turned-pundit Brundle has questioned the timing of Ferrari’s decision to make such a fundamental change, and suggested it will leave the Italian outfit in a state of “limbo”. 

"I'm not quite sure why Ferrari would choose now to have a month without a boss," Brundle told Sky. "I do think they should have given Binotto more time.

"If I was Mercedes or Red Bull right now, I'd be smiling because continuity is everything.

"As Formula 1 seasons get longer and more intense, you have to be careful of these sea changes of personnel.

"Mercedes have got real continuity, as have Red Bull in key personnel. Fred Vasseur has got to go in and find his way, get established, understand, and it's a tall order.

"It doesn't matter who you are, it's going to take time unless you are a part of the fabric like [former boss Stefano] Domenicali was and like Binotto has been.

"It is such a fundamental change and it will destabilise them in the short term, it has to. Everybody will be slightly off balance thinking, where do they stand, and what's next. They'll be in limbo.”

On Mercedes, Brundle added: “They will be smiling because they know what's wrong with their car and I think they'll come back with a much stronger in 2023.

"I do see Mercedes bringing the fight to Ferrari and Red Bull next season.”

‘Seidl’s exit bad news for McLaren, Norris’

• Seidl jumped ship - so will Norris leave McLaren too?

Brundle also gave his verdict on the more surprising news of Seidl’s departure from McLaren. 

Seidl will join the Alfa Romeo-Sauber squad next year to ready the team ahead of Audi’s arrival in 2026, with McLaren naming Andrea Stella as his replacement in the team principal position with immediate effect. 

McLaren revealed Seidl had already informed the team that he would be joining Audi when his contract expired at the end of 2025, but Ferrari’s swoop for Vasseur ultimately sped up his move. 

"There's no doubt about it, losing Seidl is bad news for McLaren going forward," said Brundle.

"He's had a long term relationship with the Volkswagen group with Porsche so I can understand what he's done and I can understand why McLaren wanted to expedite that.But this is not what they needed.

"The big thing for McLaren is their new wind tunnel in 2024. So Lando will be looking at it thinking, why has Andreas jumped ship? What has Andreas seen at Audi, that he much prefers to McLaren?

"Oscar [Piastri, new signing] will be disappointed as well because he would have done all the discussions, all the imaginations, with Andreas, for Oscar to join and Lando to stay.

"Lando is very close to Zak [Brown] and he is doing a great job there, there's a good structure at McLaren. I don't panic in the slightest for them, but you can't read this as good news."