Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur Responds to Gossip About His Future: ‘Sometimes the attacks are a bit personal’

Ferrari Backs Fred Vasseur Amid Christian Horner Speculation

Fred Vasseur’s position as Ferrari Formula 1 Team Principal came under renewed scrutiny during the Baku weekend after former Red Bull chief Christian Horner suggested that he would welcome a role with the Maranello-based team. Horner’s comments prompted speculation that Vasseur was under pressure and that Horner could be a potential replacement.

Ferrari moved to calm the rumours before the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia weekend began, holding a media call to make clear that Vasseur retained the team’s full support. The backing was particularly significant because it came from Ferrari Chairman John Elkann and Chief Executive Officer Benedetto Vigna.

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton also defended Vasseur in Sepang on Thursday. Leclerc described the discussion surrounding the Ferrari Team Principal as “not nice” and “disrespectful”, while Hamilton called Vasseur a “fantastic leader”.

Fred Vasseur Calls for Stability at Ferrari

Vasseur addressed the situation on Friday during a press conference appearance alongside Alpine’s Flavio Briatore and Williams’ James Vowles. Asked why Ferrari had considered its media call necessary, Vasseur said the volume of reporting and speculation had made it difficult for the team to operate with the required calm.

“You have to ask your colleagues,” said the Frenchman. “When you see the noise and all the rumours in the press all the week, I think as a team we need to work in serenity. And it was absolutely not the case.

“And I think the statement, it was mandatory to do something, or it could have been the same this weekend. But honestly, the big issue that we have today is to put stability, put serenity into the team, the focus that we need to have – and not to have this kind of question all day.”

Hamilton’s support for Vasseur was accompanied by an acknowledgement that Ferrari’s internal structure could be strengthened. The seven-time World Champion said “there are changes that I would make, but I’m not going to talk about what those are.”

When asked whether changes were also needed below his own position, Vasseur said every Formula 1 team must continue to evolve. He referred to an earlier comment from Briatore about strengthening Alpine’s technical leadership and rejected the idea of assigning blame to specific individuals.

“First of all, the structure of the team, I think as Flavio said before, in the individual recruitment, at least, it’s a [never-ending] story,” he insisted. “I think that you have to improve. I think it’s the DNA of what we are doing to not take a success as a final situation, but to try to improve in the good and the bad moments.

“And honestly, the dynamic that we have, we have recruited a lot, as have the other teams.

“On the comment of Lewis, I think it would be a mistake to finger point someone or something or whatever. In the good moment, we are winning as a team, in the bad moment, we are suffering as a team, and I don’t want to speak about single individual or whatever.

“We had a good beginning of the season. But for sure, it’s not enough. We want to get more, we want to win more, we want to win the championship. But at the end of the day, we had a positive start, we are struggling the last couple of races, but we are hoping to come back with development.”

Vasseur Insists Ferrari Organisation Is Not the Problem

Pressed on whether Ferrari required organisational changes, Vasseur emphasised the strength of his relationship with Benedetto Vigna and John Elkann. He said he was in daily contact with both senior executives and had no complaint about the way the team was organised.

“Honestly, the relationship that I have with my bosses, Benedetto and John, is a very good one. We are in daily contact, and I can’t complain at all about the organisation.

“But for sure, you always want to get more. You always want to do more. You always want to recruit more. But I think it’s true for me, and it’s true for everybody on the grid that you always want to do more because of the DNA of what we are doing. But honestly, it has nothing to do with the organisation.”

Vasseur acknowledged that Ferrari had made a positive start to the season but had struggled in its most recent races. He said the team’s objective remained to win more races and challenge for the championship, with development work expected to help Ferrari return to stronger form.

Ferrari Team Principal Defends His Staff

Vasseur also discussed the intense scrutiny that comes with leading Ferrari, one of Formula 1’s most closely watched teams. He said he understood the positive and negative aspects of the job when he accepted the role, but objected to personal attacks and to criticism that placed individual members of his organisation in the firing line.

“When you take the role, you know the positive and the negative side of the job,” he said. “I was expecting something like this. What is sometimes a bit unfair, and when you put someone under the bus, I’m there also to defend my team, my guys. As I said before, when we are winning, we are winning as a team.

“But when we are struggling, I’m there to defend them, to all of them. And I think it’s the right attitude from everybody, from them to defend the Team Principal, from me to defend them when we are struggling.

“Now honestly, I knew that what I will get [with this job], I’m not surprised at all. But sometimes the attacks are a bit personal – and this is not good.”

Why This Matters

Ferrari’s public support for Fred Vasseur is intended to restore stability around the team while attention remains focused on its recent performance and future development. The backing from John Elkann, Benedetto Vigna, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton indicates that the immediate priority is collective progress rather than publicly assigning responsibility for the team’s struggles.

Vasseur’s comments also underline the continuing pressure attached to the Ferrari Team Principal role. While he accepted that Ferrari must improve its results, recruitment and overall performance, he rejected the suggestion that the team’s organisational structure was responsible for the current situation. Ferrari’s next developments and its ability to recover after recent difficult races will therefore remain central to the scrutiny surrounding Vasseur and the team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Fred Vasseur under pressure at Ferrari?

Speculation increased after Christian Horner suggested he would welcome a role with Ferrari. However, Ferrari Chairman John Elkann and CEO Benedetto Vigna have backed Vasseur, and both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have defended him publicly.

What did Lewis Hamilton say about Ferrari?

Hamilton called Vasseur a “fantastic leader” but also said “there are changes that I would make, but I’m not going to talk about what those are.”

Does Fred Vasseur believe Ferrari needs organisational changes?

Vasseur said every Formula 1 team must continue to improve and recruit, but insisted that his relationship with John Elkann and Benedetto Vigna was strong and that Ferrari’s current issues had “nothing to do with the organisation.”