No official word is coming from Ferrari’s top management about Formula 1. That’s a fact. Not a statement, not a confirmation, not even a reflection. Yet, opportunities – even if out of context – have arisen. At Le Mans during the WEC, and yesterday in Maranello for the Hypersail project. The only sentence uttered by president John Elkann – quoted by Umberto Zapelloni for Il Giornale at the sailing event – was: “Just ask Fred, he’s the one in charge.”
Fred Vasseur, who came under fire in the days leading up to the Montreal GP, defended himself with determination, while confirming his contract is expiring and that renewal talks haven’t started yet. Sometimes silence is said to be the best reply to those who talk too much. Other times, it’s considered the loudest sound one can make. It must be interpreted – and people do so by adding a dose of suspicion or wisdom, depending on their perspective.
The last official statement by Elkann on Ferrari’s Formula 1 division dates back to March 26, in the shareholders’ letter for the 2024 financial report, in which he referred to Lewis Hamilton’s arrival and a season that “promised to be exciting.” More recent comments came in early May from CEO Benedetto Vigna, who described “a difficult start” but a team “focused on podiums and victories,” during the Q1 2025 financial results call.
The suspicious-minded would say the leadership’s silence – with no public words to support the team principal – could signal dissatisfaction or possible changes on the horizon.
The wise observer might not see the silence as something negative. After all, Fred Vasseur has a direct line of communication with both Elkann and Vigna and feels he has their trust: “Yes, this is not a problem that exists,” he told Sky in Canada.
And yesterday in Maranello, Fred was present in the audience (unlike Antonello Coletta, who flew to Spa for the GT World Challenge Europe), sitting right next to John Elkann and Benedetto Vigna.
Sure, a denial could have been issued.
But on November 15, 2022, it was this same executive board that dismissed rumors of Mattia Binotto’s departure with a tweet: “In relation to speculation published by some media outlets regarding the position of Scuderia Team Principal Mattia Binotto, Ferrari states these are completely without foundation.”
Fourteen days later, the split was official. That denial had been merely for show. Would one be needed today? Why deny something false? Or rather, why deny something true?
The suspicious observer might also have noticed some similarities in Elkann’s recent phrases. At Le Mans: “Ferrari won by working together, showing how unity brings extraordinary results.” In Maranello for Hypersail: “When we work together, we achieve great things.” Are those subtle criticisms, or – as the wise would argue – a philosophical direction that Formula 1 will also need to follow?
And reading, in black and white, in John Elkann’s Sky interview, that “the Hypersail was inspired by the Hypercar and the endurance category, which is Ferrari’s stronghold, even historically,” surely makes an impression from an F1 perspective. And leaves both the suspicious and the wise observers silent.
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