Frédéric Vasseur’s position as Ferrari team principal has come under renewed scrutiny following the Scuderia’s disappointing 2026 Italian Grand Prix weekend at Monza. Reports from The Race and Corriere della Sera suggest Ferrari’s senior management is reflecting on what went wrong at its home race and, more broadly, on several key decisions made during the season.
The performance and management problems seen at Monza have once again placed the French team principal in the spotlight, despite his recently renewed contract. Ferrari chairman John Elkann and chief executive Benedetto Vigna were both present at the circuit on Sunday, adding further significance to a weekend in which the team collected only eight points despite arriving with major expectations.
Ferrari’s Monza nightmare puts Frédéric Vasseur back under pressure
There is little doubt that Ferrari supporters were left deeply disappointed by the team’s performance at its home Grand Prix. The second ADUO power unit upgrade introduced at Monza, combined with the enormous enthusiasm surrounding Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, had raised hopes of a considerably stronger return than the eight points ultimately scored by Frédéric Vasseur’s team.
Instead, very little went according to plan. Ferrari’s established difficulties with engine performance and energy management were particularly exposed by the characteristics of Monza, while the management and execution of the weekend also fell well short of the optimum.
The technical challenge was already significant, with the SF-26 power unit still facing important limitations despite the development work carried out for the Italian Grand Prix. But the frustration was compounded by operational problems that Ferrari could potentially have controlled more effectively.
Imperfect qualifying execution was followed by the battle between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at the first chicane during the race. The British driver did not hide his frustration afterwards, repeatedly highlighting in interviews what he regarded as the absence of clear rules of engagement and imperfect communication within the team.
That was particularly notable because Frédéric Vasseur had brought the drivers together on a call only a few days before Monza, attempting to find common ground following the radio controversy that had emerged during the Dutch Grand Prix.
Reports suggest Ferrari hierarchy was unhappy with Monza
The Race has now highlighted the growing pressure surrounding Frédéric Vasseur. According to the British publication, “well-connected paddock sources suggest” that the image created at Monza — Ferrari enduring a disastrous home weekend while Kimi Antonelli captured the affection of the tifosi in a Mercedes — “has not gone down well with the Prancing Horse’s top brass”.
The presence of John Elkann and Benedetto Vigna at Monza is particularly relevant in this context. The Race suggested that the events of the Italian Grand Prix could potentially “trigger a review of Frédéric Vasseur’s position”, while also arguing that several important decisions taken during the 2026 season deserve closer examination.
Among the areas highlighted were whether Ferrari should have taken a stronger stance against changes to the starting procedure, whether the initial decision to prioritise aerodynamic performance over the power unit was the correct strategic direction, and whether the absence of a clearly defined internal code between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc prevented the team from maximising its championship opportunities.
The latter issue has become increasingly prominent following the recent tension between the two Ferrari drivers. The way the team manages Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc is now part of a wider debate about the Scuderia’s leadership and its ability to maximise the potential available during race weekends.
Antonello Coletta and Christian Horner linked with possible Ferrari role
If Ferrari were eventually to consider a change at the top of its Formula 1 operation, two names are already familiar in discussions surrounding a potential successor: Antonello Coletta and Christian Horner.
Antonello Coletta has enjoyed a prominent role within Ferrari’s endurance racing programme, while Christian Horner remains one of the most high-profile management figures associated with Formula 1. At this stage, however, the possibility of replacing Frédéric Vasseur remains a matter of speculation rather than a confirmed Ferrari decision.
The Race’s assessment is particularly significant because it frames the question not simply around Monza’s result, but around whether a series of choices made during the year have produced the expected outcome. With Mercedes and Kimi Antonelli delivering such a painful result for Ferrari at its home Grand Prix, the pressure surrounding those decisions has inevitably intensified.
Corriere della Sera also questions Frédéric Vasseur’s future
Corriere della Sera struck a similarly critical tone in its latest assessment of Ferrari. Writing in the Italian newspaper, Daniele Dallera suggested that discussions are taking place both in Maranello and, above all, in Turin.
“They are thinking about it in Maranello and especially in Turin. […] Things cannot continue like this. Fred Vasseur has understood that too. […] Despite a contract that has only just been renewed, […] his future as team principal is uncertain,” Daniele Dallera wrote.
The Italian journalist continued by suggesting that pressure for change is coming from senior levels within Ferrari. “There are many forces at work in Maranello, and they come from above, which could lead to the decision to make a change. Not immediately; it has to be prepared. But Monza could have revolutionary consequences.”
Corriere della Sera therefore raised the possibility of what it described as a major turning point at Ferrari. However, Daniele Dallera also stressed that there is currently no obvious alternative plan ready to be activated.
“There is no Plan B beyond the French manager. […] The Ferrari led by Fred Vasseur is under scrutiny. Under scrutiny from John Elkann’s Ferrari, which cannot continue pretending that nothing is happening.”
Ferrari faces difficult decisions after another missed opportunity
The question is therefore no longer limited to whether Ferrari underperformed at Monza. The deeper issue concerns how the team has arrived at this stage of the 2026 season despite the development work carried out on the SF-26, the arrival of Lewis Hamilton and the expectations surrounding a driver pairing capable of fighting at the highest level.
Ferrari continues to work through both technical and operational shortcomings, areas explored throughout the team’s SF-26 technical development. Monza, however, brought several of those problems together during the same weekend: power unit limitations, imperfect execution, driver tension and questions surrounding internal management.
None of the reports amount to confirmation that Frédéric Vasseur will be replaced. His contract has recently been renewed, and even the discussion surrounding possible alternatives acknowledges that Ferrari does not currently appear to have a ready-made Plan B. Nevertheless, the tone emerging after Monza is clear: the team principal and the decisions taken under his leadership are once again being examined closely.
For Ferrari, the coming races may therefore carry significance well beyond individual results. After a home Grand Prix that delivered far less than expected, the pressure is now on the entire organisation to demonstrate that the direction chosen for the 2026 season can still produce the progress Maranello has been pursuing.
