Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur could soon be dealt another sizeable blow amid reports his ally Laurent Mekies is about to walk away from the Scuderia.
There are growing concerns of unrest in the Ferrari camp just one race into the 2023 season and team principal Vasseur is facing a baptism of fire in his new role. Charles Leclerc was pushing for a podium finish before retirement through engine failure capped off a frustrating start to the season for Ferrari at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz's fourth-place finish did little to lighten the mood as Red Bull completely dominated their title rivals with Max Verstappen taking the chequered flag with ominous ease at the Sakhir circuit.
And Vasseur - the replacement for Mattia Binotto who resigned at the end of last season - is already having to steady the ship with rumours of a staff exodus from Maranello.
According to Formu1a.uno, his assistant team principal and race director Mekies could ditch Ferrari due to his frustration with the historic Italian team's top brass.
Experienced French engineer Mekies appears to have signalled his intent to leave after five years at Ferrari because of his grievances with the leadership style of CEO Benedetto Vigna.
It is claimed Mekies has become irritated at Vigna's additional responsibility following the exit of former team principal Binotto. Mekies is now told to report Vigna, who has assumed a senior role within the running of the team as sporting manager, instead of team boss Vasseur.
And Mekies will now consider offers from Ferrari's rivals Alpine, Liberty Media and the FIA - the sport's governing body that he worked in for four years before joining the Scuderia.
The possible departure of Mekies would be the latest staffing issue for Vasseur after the recent exit of chief car concept engineer David Sanchez. As per Formu1a.uno, influential figure Sanchez caught Ferrari off guard with his resignation and could move back to old team McLaren once his period of gardening leave is over.
