Since his arrival at Ferrari as team principal, Frédéric Vasseur has increasingly shaped the team in his own image.
Fred Vasseur’s Influence
The Frenchman has made changes in every area of the team: technical director, strategist, race engineer, and, with the arrival of Lewis Hamilton, even the driver lineup.
With his leadership at the helm of the Scuderia, the negative trend of the past two decades seemed at times to be reversed, but not enough to secure a world title.
Ferrari’s All-In on 2025
The 2025 Formula 1 season brings the usual expectations for Ferrari, which, as always, is “obliged” to win simply because of its name and history. These expectations, further heightened by the arrival of the seven-time world champion, have led the team to take a major risk: radically changing its technical project despite being in the final year of this regulatory era.
Ferrari’s engineers have shown great courage by opting for a historic change to the front suspension—switching from push-rod to pull-rod, reversing the position of the strut—leading to a “99% modification of the car,” according to Frederic Vasseur.
However, this means starting from scratch in understanding the car, identifying its operating windows, and finding the best setup parameters. Early difficulties in this area were already evident during pre-season testing in Bahrain. In simple terms, this decision forces the Maranello team to make significant efforts that, if not properly directed, could create a dangerous boomerang effect.
No Room for Mistakes
An English saying goes, “the bigger they are, the harder they fall.” In Ferrari’s case, the fall could be devastating and uncontrollable.
What would happen if the Scuderia failed to fight for the championship this year, despite ending the 2024 Formula 1 campaign on a high note and signing Lewis Hamilton? We don’t even want to imagine it, but one thing is certain: Ferrari and all its fans are hoping to avoid this scenario at all costs—through victories.
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