Ferrari and its Team Principal, Fred Vasseur, remain at the center of media attention. Even the former HAAS Team Principal, Günther Steiner, has weighed in on the Scuderia’s difficult moment.
Ferrari is struggling to move on from the Canadian GP. Beyond the issues seen on track during the first 10 races, the Maranello team found itself at the heart of intense media discussion during the championship’s tenth round. According to some newspapers, Fred Vasseur’s future might lie away from Ferrari. However, the Team Principal quickly responded and denied the rumors about his imminent departure.
These rumors, however, have raised many doubts and increased pressure on the entire team. Former HAAS Team Principal, Günther Steiner, addressed the topic during the The Red Flags podcast.
The situation at Ferrari
Günther Steiner, who knows the F1 paddock environment very well, shared some thoughts. The podcast co-hosts asked Steiner whether Fred Vasseur could be the next scapegoat at Ferrari. The former HAAS TP replied: “If we look at history, I think we can see that he could be the next scapegoat. I don’t know, the press reported this at the end of last week. I don’t know if the story is true, but if it is, he would definitely be under pressure.”
Steiner added: “I mean, it’s Ferrari—you know, if you don’t win in three years, they put pressure on you. I don’t know how true it is that they want to get rid of him.”
The comparison with McLaren
During this episode of The Red Flags, a comparison was also made between Ferrari and McLaren. The Woking team had a tough start to last season but, thanks to a series of upgrades, managed to win the Constructors’ Championship and is now fighting for both titles this year.
According to Steiner, McLaren’s success is mainly due to years of hard work without too much pressure. The former team principal admitted: “The pressure that comes now, for example, from the press doesn’t help improvement. That’s what I mean. And at McLaren, they were under a lot of pressure at one point and the McLaren owners let Zak Brown handle it.”
Without excessive pressure, Zak Brown was able to work behind the scenes, which allowed him to rebuild the team’s foundations. Günther Steiner concluded, still referring to the Woking team’s CEO: “He changed people. He moved forward. He built a solid base, even on the commercial side. He worked hard.”
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