The Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari, Frédéric Vasseur, stirred controversy at the end of qualifying for the 2025 Formula 1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone by directly blaming his drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, for missing out on a front-row start. His comments have once again raised serious questions about internal communication at Ferrari.
The issue this time does not involve a misunderstood team radio call during the race, as has happened in previous years, but rather public statements made by Fred Vasseur himself after the qualifying session. Throughout the 2025 Formula 1 season, various public comments made by Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have often stood in direct contrast to the version of events presented by their team boss—an inconsistency that is beginning to attract increased scrutiny from media and fans alike.
Ferrari endured another mixed weekend at Silverstone. Despite strong performances during the free practice sessions, both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton failed to carry that momentum into qualifying. As a result, the two Ferrari drivers lined up only fifth and sixth on the starting grid, far from the positions the team had hoped for based on their earlier pace.
Ongoing communication problems at Ferrari
The latest episode of the “Terruzzi Racconta” podcast featured prominent Italian motorsport journalists Pino Allievi, Stefano Nicoli, and Giorgio Terruzzi, who did not hold back in criticising Fred Vasseur’s communication strategy. Giorgio Terruzzi, in particular, voiced strong disapproval of the way Ferrari’s Team Principal addresses the media and his own team.
“Let Vasseur stay where he is,” said Terruzzi, “but he really needs to get a grip and stop talking as if he’s living in a parallel reality. What progress is he referring to? He keeps using the same three words—’good race pace’—over and over, but those statements are repeatedly contradicted by the drivers themselves and by what we all see on track. McLaren had good pace, Sauber had good pace—many teams did, but certainly not Ferrari.”
Terruzzi went on to point out a specific example from the Silverstone weekend, highlighting the disconnect between what Vasseur and his drivers were saying: “There were even communication issues during qualifying. Vasseur blamed the drivers for the result—something a team leader should never do. He said it was their mistake, while Charles Leclerc hinted at a deeper, unspoken issue. Leclerc alluded to something within the car that was affecting performance but claimed he couldn’t talk about it publicly. This secrecy only deepens the confusion. It’s time for Vasseur and the drivers to clear the air and be more transparent. This cloud of mystery helps no one.”
Pino Allievi echoed these sentiments and also criticised Ferrari’s lack of clarity in communication, especially when performance is underwhelming: “Vasseur defended himself by saying, ‘We were competitive up until Q2.’ But that’s not good enough—you need to be competitive all the way through to Sunday evening, especially if you’re Ferrari. Maybe you can accept that kind of reasoning from midfield teams hoping for a flash of brilliance, but not from a team that is supposed to be fighting for the world championship.”
Leave a Reply