"Fred is one of the finest and most rewarding encounters of my life! We disagree on nothing, except on when we first met. He cites a karting event in Angerville when I was very young, which I have no memory of. I do remember a race, but not meeting him there.
What is certain is that it was a very long time ago, and I feel like I've always had him by my side throughout my career. He's been there at every milestone, and if I'm where I am today, at a level of performance that lets me consider the world championship title, it's thanks to the work he's done alongside me all these years.
What's true for me is also true for the teams he's led, both operationally and in terms of team spirit. At Ferrari, he managed to create a dynamic within the group, a cohesion without which nothing is possible. From the day I learned he was going to take charge of the Scuderia, I knew the project we were trying to build together had a future. I immediately had this absolute trust, which has only grown since.
Fred has a vision of motorsport that is always extremely sound. He's able to separate the perception people have of events from what's actually happening. That's very important at Ferrari, where emotions can take over because of the enormous passion surrounding the Scuderia, a passion that can turn against it in difficult moments. When it spirals, it can affect the team's members more than at any other team, or conversely, push them to go above and beyond to get out of tricky situations.
Fred manages to set aside this pressure, which can be as beneficial as it is destructive, in order to keep the right perspective. Certain fundamental values of Ferrari will remain unchanging, and that's a good thing, but Fred has managed to change quite a few small things that make an enormous difference. First, he strives to understand each team member, to grasp their situation and put them in the best possible conditions to get the most out of them.
That is without doubt one of his greatest strengths; another being that he always brings a certain balance to the team. When we have a great race with Ferrari, everyone is overjoyed, and Fred is always there to remind us that it's just one race, and there are many more to come. In moments of joy, he never loses sight of reality, and it's exactly the same in difficult moments. When morale is at its lowest, he's always there to lift us up, to remotivate us. He's very calm emotionally, and that's really an asset for a team like Ferrari.
Fred has been my stroke of luck, and still is, just as he is today the Scuderia's stroke of luck. He gives that trust without which nothing is possible."
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2087
