Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna has rejected suggestions of tension with Fred Vasseur and explained why Maranello has sometimes felt compelled to intervene publicly against the growing flow of rumours surrounding the Formula 1 team. Speaking to Motorsport.com, the Ferrari executive recalled reading claims about a supposed breakdown in their relationship while he was actually sitting at dinner with the team principal.
For Benedetto Vigna, the starting point when confronting any problem is simple: establish the facts. It is partly a consequence of his scientific background, but also a philosophy he applies to the management of Ferrari itself. Observe, verify and only then reach a conclusion.
Benedetto Vigna addresses the rumours surrounding Fred Vasseur
That same approach shapes how Benedetto Vigna interprets what is happening around the Scuderia, which has faced an increasing amount of speculation in recent weeks. One of the biggest subjects has been the position of Fred Vasseur, fuelled by results that have fallen below expectations and reports concerning possible alternatives at the head of the team.
Ferrari has already made its position public by reaffirming its confidence in the team principal. The wider situation has also been examined through the debate over Fred Vasseur’s future as Ferrari looks towards 2027. Benedetto Vigna explained that the Scuderia now operates in an environment filled with rumours, interpretations and commentary that spread increasingly quickly, often amplified by social media.
During a lengthy conversation with Motorsport.com, the Ferrari CEO recalled an episode that, in his view, perfectly illustrated the distance that can develop between reality and the narrative surrounding the team.
Some time ago, Benedetto Vigna was having dinner with Fred Vasseur when he came across content confidently claiming that relations between the two were extremely poor and that they could no longer tolerate one another. The contradiction was obvious: he was reading those claims while sitting at dinner with the very person with whom his relationship was supposedly deteriorating. His reaction was inevitably to smile.
Ferrari CEO warns against turning interpretation into fact
Benedetto Vigna used the story to make a broader point about verifying information. He does not dispute anyone’s right to analyse, criticise or express an opinion. In his view, the problem begins when an interpretation is transformed into a fact without first being checked.
“But verify it, look with your own eyes!” was his message.
According to the Ferrari CEO, that principle risks being lost increasingly often in the current media environment. Information repeated enough times can eventually begin to be perceived as true regardless of where it originated. That is the dynamic he considers particularly dangerous.
The subject has become especially relevant amid the wider communication issues and rumours surrounding Ferrari, where speculation can quickly develop into a story of its own.
Benedetto Vigna also drew on his personal experience. Across a career spanning three decades, he has encountered interviews in which statements he never made were attributed to him, only for the publications involved to correct them later. The problem, he noted, is that a correction often comes after the original version has already reached its audience. People who saw the first report are unlikely to return later to read the amended version. On social media and blogs, he added, that mechanism becomes even harder to control.
Why Ferrari publicly intervened over Fred Vasseur
The discussion inevitably returns to Ferrari because few sporting organisations generate the same level of attention and, consequently, the same volume of speculation. That pressure does not necessarily remain confined to the Formula 1 paddock. Rumours can reach people working within the team and their families, creating additional noise that can become both a source of pressure and a distraction.
That is why Maranello decided in recent weeks to speak publicly about Fred Vasseur’s position. The intention was to draw a line under the speculation and prevent the subject from continuing to feed itself. Benedetto Vigna believes the intervention achieved its objective because, once Ferrari addressed the matter directly, questions surrounding the team principal became less frequent. Ferrari’s previous public backing of Fred Vasseur fits into that attempt to provide greater stability around the leadership of the team.
Benedetto Vigna admits Ferrari’s rivals have done a better job
None of that removes the sporting problem Ferrari still has to solve. On this point, Benedetto Vigna offered no excuses: the car needs to improve because the opposition has, so far, done a better job.
However, he presented that as a technical assessment rather than justification for another internal revolution.
“The reality is that Fred and the Scuderia are determined and focused on what needs to be done. Do we need to improve the car? Of course! Our competitors have done it better. Since physics is the same for everyone, that means it can be done better.”
Ferrari’s recent performance difficulties have already generated debate over whether the team has slipped behind its main rivals, including analysis of where the SF-26 currently stands in the competitive order. Benedetto Vigna’s position, however, is that recognising the performance deficit does not automatically mean changing the leadership structure.
Ferrari wants stability rather than another revolution
The message emerging from Benedetto Vigna’s comments is ultimately much simpler than the noise surrounding Ferrari might suggest. The company wants stability, Fred Vasseur remains central to the Formula 1 project, and the relationship between the team principal and the Ferrari CEO is not characterised by the fracture suggested in some reports.
For Benedetto Vigna, the principle remains the same: observe, verify and compare claims with what is actually happening. Interpretations can be numerous. Reality, in his view, remains only one.
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