Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur looks ahead to 2026 with confidence: "We know what we want to achieve"

Fred Vasseur, Ferrari team boss, 2025 F1

The 2025 season has been a particularly challenging and frustrating year for Ferrari and team principal Fred Vasseur, far exceeding the difficulties expected during the winter preparations. The season has been plagued by a wide range of issues: from the weaknesses of the SF-25 that became apparent early on and culminated during the Shanghai Grand Prix with a double disqualification, to Lewis Hamilton’s adaptation struggles, the persistent rumors surrounding the team and its principal, particularly around the Montreal weekend, and Charles Leclerc’s understandable frustration over recurring technical problems. Yet, none of these challenges were unexpected for Fred Vasseur when, in the autumn of 2022, he accepted the role previously held by Mattia Binotto. He told The Athletic: “I have been in this industry for 30 years. I knew perfectly well that I would be exposed and that I would be treated harshly.”

A different trajectory compared to McLaren

What has stood out most negatively for Ferrari this year has been the performance gap with McLaren, the team that contested the 2024 Constructors’ Championship with them until the very end. Fred Vasseur remarked: “We are all oscillating in performance, but I would say that even when they are down, they are still there. And when they are up, they fly.” He emphasized the contrast with the Woking-based team.

The French manager explained that the gap between the two teams widened due to Ferrari’s early-season difficulties: “If you have a big problem at the start – he said, referring particularly to the Chinese GP – you lose some trajectory, you have to be careful, and you gradually lose a bit of confidence and everything else.”

Compounding this issue was Ferrari’s inability to fully capitalize on opportunities, as reflected in a season tally consisting of three podiums and zero victories. Fred Vasseur added: “I think the main problem is that we lost good opportunities for ourselves. On a weekend like Baku, for example, I believe we had the pace to do much, much better. […] We need to pay more attention to execution to make a good weekend.”

Focus on precision and teamwork

Fred Vasseur highlighted this again in statements released to Ferrari’s press office ahead of the United States Grand Prix at Austin. “At COTA we return to a permanent circuit that offers a very interesting mix of corners. It’s a track that demands precision from everyone: from the team for the setup and from the drivers for their feel with the car. The weekend will be even more challenging due to the Sprint format, which gives us only one free practice session before entering competitive sessions. We know we haven’t fully exploited the potential of our package in recent races, but the team is united and fully determined to change course.”

Strong relationships with Leclerc and Hamilton

When Fred Vasseur’s future at Ferrari was questioned by external rumors, he immediately received unconditional support from both drivers. His relationship with them is now one of the team’s most positive aspects, strengthened by his previous experiences with each.

Regarding Charles Leclerc, the French manager says they understand each other even before speaking. He added: “Sometimes we haven’t even started talking, but I know exactly what he’s thinking and I believe it’s the same the other way around. We have full trust. I know that when he is tough on the team, it’s always to help. This feeling is constructive and goes in the right direction for building something.”

Regarding Lewis Hamilton, the excitement of joining Maranello quickly met the challenges of adapting to a situation very different from his previous 12 seasons at Mercedes. However, this has not weakened their relationship: “I think with Lewis, at first, everything was beautiful, everything was new. And we have to calm down. […] We need to improve step by step. I know I can trust him, and he knows he can trust me, and that is important. He knows I will give my utmost effort for the team’s performance.”

Building a team for 2026

At the start of this season, Ferrari also had to manage the transition in the role of Technical Director, with the handover from Enrico Cardile to Loic Serra taking place while Fred Vasseur, constrained by the mandatory gardening leave, could not directly influence the development of the emerging SF-25.

For this reason, Fred Vasseur has asked for time to build the team he envisions, believing that Ferrari will be ready to face the challenges of the new 2026 technical regulations: “We are building something with Loic, with Jerome (d’Ambrosio, Ferrari’s deputy team principal), and with the team in their roles. I think the atmosphere in the team is very positive and we know what we want to achieve. We know what we want to do. I believe this dynamic is important, both for today and for the future. I feel comfortable in this team.”