The Canadian Grand Prix must serve as a sort of confirmation for Ferrari. The Maranello team is coming off two consecutive podiums, achieved thanks to the usual talent of Charles Leclerc and also a bit of luck due to the Safety Car at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. The Monegasque driver has never had a great relationship with Lady Luck, objectively speaking, so it’s fair enough that he occasionally benefits from some unexpected help.
In Montreal, where the paddock is already buzzing for the race weekend, there are several very interesting topics circulating. Almost all of them, in fact, concern the Italian team, particularly the mood of the two drivers and the future of Frederic Vasseur, the team principal whose contract expires at the end of this season. In recent days, various more or less reliable rumors have suggested that he will leave Maranello at the end of the 2025 Formula 1 championship.
Admittedly, the current season has not been a success so far: over the winter, partly thanks to the arrival of Lewis Hamilton, there was talk of world titles, of an SF-25 single-seater capable of fighting McLaren for the championship. Then, at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, as unfortunately has often been the case for nearly twenty years, came the icy cold shower for the Ferrari fans and everyone at Maranello.
Charles Leclerc’s last two performances have sparked a glimmer of hope: the SF-25, according to the constructors’ standings, has overall been the second-best car in F1 after the first nine races. And if the numbers don’t lie, we must also say that the points gap to McLaren, the undisputed leader, is 197. An enormous and likely insurmountable distance, because we are not here to feed anyone false hopes — others take care of that with the usual recycled proclamations.
Returning to the more pressing matters, Ferrari is in a difficult moment: this isn’t news, but it seemed that the Frederic Vasseur approach was working — until reality struck again in this first part of the 2025 Formula 1 campaign. However, unlike what we saw at the end of Mattia Binotto’s tenure in 2022, the feeling now is that the various members of the team are trying to rally around their team principal.
But it is not only Frederic Vasseur who is at the center of paddock rumors: some reports suggest that Charles Leclerc himself is tired of not winning anything with Ferrari, and his unconditional love — which has objectively never been in question — seems to be wavering. That would be understandable, since a driver of his talent keeps having to swallow bitter pills, having had, in almost seven years, only a handful of Grands Prix with a car worthy of F1.
Charles Leclerc does not want to hear any of it, and when asked about the matter, as widely expected, he reiterated the points expressed earlier. The Monegasque made it clear that he would not comment on rumors or speculation regarding offers or similar matters. He emphasized that the only certainty was his love for Ferrari and stated that, regardless of what the future might hold, his goal remained to win with the team in red. The 27-year-old expressed his desire to bring Ferrari back to the top and affirmed that he would give everything he had to make it happen with himself behind the wheel.
This issue is inevitably linked to the Frederic Vasseur situation. Here too, the Monegasque speaks as a team player, as a leader, and firmly dismisses the recent rumors, especially since there’s an important weekend to prepare for — one that must confirm the “good” things seen recently.
Charles Leclerc noted that there were rumors about Frederic Vasseur which the team consciously chose to ignore. He stressed that their focus needed to remain on what truly mattered: performance on the track. According to him, only results could silence certain rumors in the short term. The Monegasque driver added that he had nothing further to say, reiterating his full confidence in the team and highlighting that the French manager had always believed in him, just as he believed in Fred Vasseur. Charles Leclerc concluded by stating that the Ferrari team boss had everything needed to bring the Italian side back to the top, and expressed hope that they could achieve that goal together.
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