Towering expectations of Vasseur: 'The new Todt'

Frédéric Vasseur marks a new era at the Italian Scuderia Ferrari. For the first time in more than 15 years, there is no Italian at the helm of the team. Two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi is expecting a lot from Vasseur.

Vasseur could become new Todt

The Brazilian even dares to compare Ferrari's new team boss in terms of potential to Jean Todt, who was in charge of the team during Ferrari's most dominant era. The Frenchman managed to win the titles with Michael Schumacher five years in a row.

At VegasInsider.com Fittipaldi said: "If you remember when Todt went to Ferrari and turned things around. He made real things happen. It was a strong team that dominated F1 with Schumacher. Vasseur has the potential to do something similar." Whether Charles Leclerc then becomes Vasseur's Schumacher does not seem to Fittipaldi to rule out.

Ferrari comes out on top

The new team boss is from France and Leclerc from Monaco so they speak the same language. Fittipaldi: "That's a big help. I'm sure Vasseur and Charles have a better understanding with each other." The two-time F1 champion expects Ferrari to be very strong. And if not this year, there will come a time in the near future when Ferrari will strike back strongly.

Fittipaldi: "All the big teams like Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, Williams and now even Sauber, have historical cycles of success. They drop off but come back again. There is no question of when they will come back. They will come back"