The pressure on Ferrari was already significant from the beginning of the 2025 Formula 1 season. After the end of 2024 and the arrival of Lewis Hamilton, everyone expected a Red team capable of challenging McLaren this year. Ten races in and the reality is unfortunately the opposite. The drivers’ title is out of Ferrari’s reach, and the constructors’ championship offers, at best, a shot at second place. The British champion entered with great fanfare but has not yet adapted technically to certain working methods; rather, he is trying to call for a different approach, which is not easy to implement. On the other hand, Charles Leclerc is keeping the speed level afloat because he knows exactly how things work, with that extraordinary ability to improvise a performance.
The issue is that after the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, no one knows what top management is thinking. John Elkann hasn’t spoken about Formula 1. Or rather, on the sidelines of the 24 Hours of Le Mans won by Robert Kubica in a Ferrari, he said that in the past three years, three different cars and nine drivers have shown what teamwork means. All true, but was that also a warning? If so, aimed at whom? In the meantime, after his appearance at Le Mans – when the ‘Ferrari storm’ was just beginning – and his ongoing involvement with Juventus during this delicate period, the President of the Italian company could be present on Wednesday at the unveiling event for the Vela project in Maranello. Rumors have been swirling for days, the news is out, and the F1 team is preparing to head to the Red Bull Ring: will we hear any words on the matter from the management?
The drivers are aligned with Frederic Vasseur, and Lewis Hamilton is particularly firm in this stance, but will that be enough? The President – the one who largely wanted and approved the Lewis Hamilton operation at Maranello – must acknowledge that the British driver has openly taken Frederic Vasseur’s side, as has a large part of the team, including Charles Leclerc. Others, however, believe the changes made have been insufficient, while some are bothered by the idea of changes that go too deep.
If the plan is to continue with Frederic Vasseur, a concrete confirmation is needed, at least an extension of the French manare’s contract through the end of the 2026 Formula 1 championship in order to calm everyone down. Otherwise, the Frenchman becomes a moving target depending on results, and with him, so does the entire team.
Meanwhile, the 2026 F1 car is in full development. Key figures, Loic Serra foremost among them, are now working exclusively on project 678. If the plan has changed, if something has broken down, or if Frederic Vasseur is considered largely responsible for this year’s results, rightly or wrongly, it would be wise to choose someone who deeply understands how F1 operates, including politically, given that Ferrari has for years opted not to impose itself or expose itself too much (depending on one’s perspective) with decision-making bodies. Ultimately, full support is necessary to change things, regardless of who’s at the helm of a giant ship like the Italian side. This applies to Frederic Vasseur, as it did to his predecessors.
Some initially compared Frederic Vasseur to Jean Todt, but that is only due to their shared nationality—they are actually very different individuals. Jean Todt would roam the Ferrari Racing Division at night, go into offices, and call people out even for trivial matters, like a general. It worked because the iron pact with top leadership, namely Michael Schumacher, Ross Brawn, and Stefano Domenicali, was unbreakable. Jean Todt could hire the best, while Frederic Vasseur could not convince Adrian Newey, nor even Pierre Waché.
Today’s reality works differently, and the reasons are so numerous that imagining a repeat of those dynamics seems a waste of time. Frederic Vasseur did what he could, perhaps he could have held on to someone who did not see eye to eye with him but was still a valuable internal resource. Perhaps he underestimated the turbulence in trying to push for change. Maybe more tact was needed. This clashes with his tendency toward pragmatism. Ferrari is not a nimble speedboat but a cruise ship, as explained by F1 expert Giuliano Duchessa for autoracer.
The current problems of the SF-25 stem from changes both endured and initiated in 2024. Frederic Vasseur wanted Adrian Newey, but there were no operational margins. Not only that, Enrico Cardile didn’t want to be sidelined and left, ironically finding himself alongside Adrian Newey. This does not mean one person is to blame if the car doesn’t perform, considering the fact that a Formula 1 car is the product of complex choices, thousands of simulation and wind tunnel tests, and endless meetings among specialist engineers.
For now, the Ferrari team principal continues his work heading into the Austrian Grand Prix, which is scheduled to take place at the Red Bull Ring circuit in Spielberg next Sunday. His contract is expiring, but the uncertainty remains unresolved. John Elkann must decide whether today’s stability holds value or if change is necessary. Back in the day, Jean Todt had two carefully groomed successors: one was Stefano Domenicali, the other Antonello Coletta. The former took over as team principal, won a constructors’ championship, and came close to a title with Fernando Alonso despite limited resources, a surprising thought now, but at the time, Ferrari was still feeling the financial effects of its long winning streak with Michael Schumacher. Antonello Coletta has always focused on pushing Ferrari’s activities in closed-wheel racing, culminating in the winning return of a Hypercar. It is clear that in the event of a change, critical factors must be considered—opportunities and obstacles alike.
It seems unlikely that Antonello Coletta could personally be on track full-time or oversee every aspect of the F1 team without penalizing the World Endurance Championship project, which will engage Ferrari for at least another four or five years. The idea could be to form a triumvirate of powers: one political-economic, one coordinating sporting activities, and one technical, entrusted to a specialist deeply familiar with Formula 1 and its people. This might resemble McLaren’s model in a best-case scenario—but it could also end up mirroring Alpine’s disastrous trajectory if it fails. In any case, 2026 is around the corner. All development resources have shifted focus, and many decisions must be made.
The delicate matter of the power unit is in the hands of Enrico Gualtieri and Wolf Zimmermann, while the chassis is rapidly being reshaped to meet new regulations. Through all this, Frederic Vasseur has not changed his internal approach and does not even appear defensive ahead of Spielberg. Whatever happens, his relationship with John Elkann hasn’t soured—it remains close, with a streamlined chain of command. After the Montreal Grand Prix, no one can say if that is enough, and that’s the issue. What is needed is for this unresolved situation (not the triumphant one at Le Mans) to be clarified soon, with the Presidency either firmly backing the current leadership or explaining if there are alternative plans. In Austria, we can expect a blender-style qualifying session, where 10 cars could be within two-tenths. This means that the Maranello team cannot endure prolonged high tension.
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