Fred Vasseur’s leadership has been pinpoiℱnted as aꦫ crucial strength at Ferrari ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s arrival.

Hamilton will get behind the wheel of a Ferrari for the first time in the coming week a🧸t Fiorano in ꦓItaly.

He will drive one of thꦿe team’s old F1 cars as he visits Maranello for the first time, having mad𒅌e a major switch from Mercedes.

A former Ferrari stalwart insists their team principal is a key cog to what H🌸amౠilton will find.

“I like Fred. I have got a lot of time for Fred and for what he’s doing,” said Rob Smedley, who was⭕ Felipe Massa’s race engineer, to the Red Flags podcast.

“I am fortunate or un𒉰fortunate enough to get offers from F1 teams, and my barometer is ‘would I work f꧟or them?’

“꧅There are not many people who I would. But Fred, I would.

“He is very straight talking, he brings humility.

“He is intelligent but also disarming, and that’s a go🧜od ♊quality to have for a top manager in a pressure cooker.

“You don’t need pressure, the people who succeed in F1 do🅰n’t need more pressure!

“If you are successful in F1, there will be no st❀ronger c🌠ritic than you yourself.

“Fred has done 🍸a good job in demonstrating that, and look𒊎ing after people.

“Yo❀u can’t say it’s a no 𒁃blame environment then, when something f*** up, someone is out of the door!

“Fred is good at looking after 🐲his ♐people. He knows what is needed to make a success.”

‘Not all F1 team principals know what it takes’

“You’d be surprised,” Smedley claimed.

“Not every F1 team principal knows𒁏 what it takes to make a successful team.”

He mentioned Ross Brawn, who was integral to Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari heyday, and who lꩲater led Honda.

“Ross is a superstar, it speaks ꦏfor itself. I learned 🍸from Ross and Jean Todt,” Smedley said.

“They mentored me, they took me under their wing.

“The current crop? Toto Wolff๊ is a superb manager. He gets ꧑it.

“Go back 10🧸 years, ꦆwhere he lacked in experience he makes up for it with intellect, grit and a will to win.

“The new guys? Andrea Stella is an ex-colleague and frien𝄹d from Ferrari. He is very considered. He builds a lot of trust and con𓆏fidence.

“He is very sensible, he doesn’t try to do things which are off the mꦛap or crazy.”