"We are in the process of negotiations, but we will talk in time," said Fred Vasseur in a press conference ahead of the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend.
He sent a clear message that there were prominent figures on the Ferrari organizational chart leaving, but that others would arrive soon to strengthen the technical structure.
This was not a recruiting campaign without much impact, in fact, more than 10 engineers are already in the Frenchman's sights, with two of the 'important' figures being from Red Bull.
The names of the two engineers hailing from Red Bull first refer to Enrico Balbo (confirmed on Saturday by Corriere della Sera), who until recently was the aerodynamics manager of the Milton Keynes team.
However, the second engineer who was at the center of a "name hunt" that has been going on for days, as according to many rumors, he was one of the engineers who played a key role in the development of today's outstanding DRS system, the RB19 .
The mystery man is already in Maranello and, in fact, he will contribute to the development of the SF-23's evolution. One of the main reasons why Ferrari is hoping to reduce the top speed difference with respect to the Red Bull team.
AlphaTauriVasseur Denies the Issue of Mekies Departure from Ferrari
The Laurent Mekies affair also plays into this scenario. The press release issued by AlphaTauri last Wednesday, in which the Faenza team announced the arrival of a French engineer as a new principal, upset Ferrari a bit.
Having announced so far, the signing of a new contract with the man who is now the sporting director of the Italian structure has created confusion among the men in red, who feel obliged to comment on the release.
However, there is a hidden play between Ferrari and Red Bull which also explains why Mekies still retains its place at Maranello.
The big question is the 'gardening period' (the time they must fulfill before starting work for other teams on the grid) that Red Bull engineers must fulfill before devoting themselves to the Maranello team.
Precious time, because the 2024 project has already started at the Italian headquarters. At this time, it is very important to have engineers who have fresh ideas that can change the main guidelines of the car.
The departure of Mekies, who joined the energy drink structure through AlphaTauri, has given Vasseur an opportunity to negotiate with Red Bull. Discount on the 'gardening period' for Enrico Balbo up to the exchange of the same agreement with the French engineer.
That explains the evasive response to Mekies leaving, "We'll see, we keep talking about it." It also shed light on the presence of the departing sporting director on the pit wall in Baku, a less cryptic message sent to the other side.He remains here for now.
However, that game is likely to be over soon, as it is in both parties' interest to have a new player working with them as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Diego Ioverno and Jock Clear's value has increased as a replacement for Mekies. Vasseur said that they would not sign players from outside, but that they would study the best options in the current team.
Of course these functions will be shared between two experienced people, because Mekies has too many responsibilities to shoulder.
