Amid doubts over Fred Vasseur’s future and the possible arrival of Antonello Coletta, Carlo Vanzini weighs in on Ferrari’s current situation.
Already in Canada, it was one of the hot topics of the weekend and it likely will be again in Austria. Rumours about Fred Vasseur’s future at Ferrari continue to dominate headlines, especially with the increasingly looming presence of Antonello Coletta. Many see the current Team Principal of Ferrari’s WEC division as the ideal replacement should the former Alfa Romeo boss leave.
To get any concrete answers, we’ll likely have to wait until the summer break. That period is known for heating up the driver and personnel market and could be the perfect time to sit down and decide what to do.
A surprise candidate emerges
Meanwhile, Fred Vasseur’s name remains central to many discussions. Carlo Vanzini, in a recent YouTube video, offered his take on Ferrari’s future. “Fred Vasseur has now started a process. But unlike Andrea Stella, who brought strong people into the team while keeping the key figures in place and assigning them the right roles, Ferrari has experienced a mass exodus: they said goodbye to Sanchez, Cardile, and Mekies—who went on to become Team Principal at Racing Bulls, and has done well there.”
“There have been changes that, when talking about stability in Formula 1, are equivalent to setting off dynamite under the project’s foundations. I’m not trying to be a lawyer or defend anyone—that’s not my job. I do something else. I occasionally allow myself to judge strategies a little based on the experience I’ve accumulated over roughly 400 races, let’s say, and I’ll stop there. But I’ll say one thing: today, even I could go and be Ferrari’s Team Principal,” the Sky Sport commentator said provocatively.
“Why? Because right now would be the perfect moment for anyone to become Ferrari’s Team Principal, since no one knows how the 2026 project will turn out. So I step in: if the 2026 project works, I’m the hero of the nation and essentially haven’t done anything. If the 2026 project fails, it’s not my fault. Right now, there’s a team built by Fred Vasseur, with Loic Serra and Jerome D’Ambrosio, so the situation is not straightforward.”
“What’s certain is that Fred Vasseur’s contract is set to expire, and it’s natural to keep asking how renewal talks are progressing. He feels the support and has said that the renewal isn’t a problem. But Coletta is in the background, and he’s shown he can be a key figure. It’s clear that if Ferrari plans to go in a different direction, all the associated agreements must be considered—especially when hiring a Team Principal from another team, which involves a gardening period. That’s why it might make more sense to look internally. Personally, I think making a change now wouldn’t be the right move because Vasseur is beginning to shape the structure based on the tools he has.”
“Coming back to Coletta, I’d see him more in a Zak Brown-type role, which is something Ferrari currently lacks. I envision strengthening the structure with a figure not above but complementary to the Team Principal. I believe this figure has already been identified in D’Ambrosio. The next question is whether Fred Vasseur would accept having someone above him,” Carlo Vanzini concluded.
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