Fred Vasseur’s position at Ferrari has come under renewed scrutiny amid reports of internal tension involving chief executive Benedetto Vigna and concerns surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s working environment. With the Scuderia’s championship ambitions fading and McLaren applying pressure in the battle for second place in the Constructors’ standings, attention is increasingly shifting from results on track to the leadership structure at Maranello.
The latest claims were discussed by Giorgio Terruzzi on his Terruzzi Racconta podcast, where he described a strained internal picture around Ferrari’s team principal. Terruzzi maintained that some employees regard Vasseur’s leadership style as distant and revealed that the Frenchman has reportedly been given the nickname Napoleon inside Maranello because of the way his management approach is perceived.
Those comments remain Terruzzi’s assessment rather than an officially confirmed Ferrari position, but they add to a wider series of reports concerning internal tensions involving Fred Vasseur and Lewis Hamilton.
Fred Vasseur and Benedetto Vigna relationship comes under scrutiny
The most significant claim concerns Vasseur’s relationship with Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna. Terruzzi suggested that communication between the two senior figures has deteriorated to the point of being almost non-existent.
That would be particularly important because Vigna, who has served as Ferrari CEO since 2021, is responsible for the company’s overall strategic direction, while Vasseur oversees the Formula 1 operation. Major sporting and organisational decisions inevitably require coordination between the two roles, making any serious distance at the top of the structure potentially significant for the way the team functions.
The timing also adds to the pressure. The revelations emerged on 15 September, with Ferrari’s Drivers’ Championship challenge effectively over and McLaren threatening the team’s second position in the Constructors’ standings. The difficult competitive situation has already intensified scrutiny of Vasseur’s management, including the way he has handled the relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
Lewis Hamilton reports add another complication for Ferrari
The internal picture has also been complicated by reports concerning Hamilton. Corriere della Sera reported that the seven-time world champion has requested changes among Ferrari’s trackside personnel after becoming dissatisfied with strategic decisions.
Any significant adjustment to the race-team structure would ultimately require Vasseur’s approval, placing the team principal directly at the centre of another sensitive issue. The wider relationship between Ferrari’s drivers and management has already attracted considerable attention during recent race weekends, with Vasseur’s handling of Hamilton and Charles Leclerc coming under scrutiny following the Italian and Spanish Grands Prix.
The reported requests from Hamilton therefore arrive at a difficult moment. Ferrari is attempting to stabilise its sporting situation while also dealing with questions about its hierarchy and the direction of the Formula 1 operation.
Ferrari has no obvious replacement for Fred Vasseur
Despite the pressure surrounding Vasseur, replacing him would not necessarily be straightforward. One of the biggest complications is the absence of a clear successor capable of immediately taking control of Ferrari’s Formula 1 programme.
Antonello Coletta, who leads Ferrari’s successful World Endurance Championship operation, is not interested in taking the Formula 1 team principal role. His name might appear an obvious internal option because of his position within Ferrari’s wider motorsport structure, but he does not currently represent a willing replacement.
Andrea Stella is another figure who would naturally attract attention because of his deep Ferrari history. The McLaren team principal spent 14 years at Maranello before eventually moving on, and he has since overseen McLaren’s rise to consecutive Constructors’ Championship titles in 2024 and 2025.
However, Stella has reportedly declined the opportunity to return to Ferrari. His current success with McLaren makes him one of Formula 1’s most highly regarded team principals, but his lack of interest leaves Maranello without an obvious external candidate of comparable experience and recent achievement.
Vasseur pressure rises despite Ferrari succession problem
The situation consequently creates a paradox for Ferrari. Vasseur faces increasing scrutiny at a time when the team’s competitive objectives are slipping away, yet there is no clearly available candidate ready to replace him.
That makes the internal relationships around the team principal especially important. Any deterioration between Vasseur and Vigna would affect Ferrari at the highest management level, while Hamilton’s reported desire for changes adds pressure from inside the sporting operation itself.
At the same time, Ferrari still needs stability as it completes the remainder of the 2026 Formula 1 season and prepares for the longer-term technical and organisational challenges ahead.
For now, the situation remains defined by reports and internal assessments rather than confirmation of a leadership change. Vasseur is under pressure, questions are being asked about key relationships within Ferrari, but the absence of an obvious replacement makes any potential change at the top of the Formula 1 operation far from simple.
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