A few days ago in Fiorano, team principal Frederic Vasseur and Ferrari celebrated the twenty-year partnership with the clothing giant Puma. The event was attended not only by representatives of the Formula 1 team but also by key figures from the FIA World Endurance Championship, who last weekend rewrote the history of the category with a stunning one-two-three finish in the first round of the world championship in Qatar. The following days, it was Milan’s turn to host the “Scuderia Ferrari Drivers’ Presentation by UniCredit,” where fans had the great opportunity to virtually embrace Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton before the start of the 2025 Formula 1 championship.
This event also marked the celebration of the new collaboration between the historic Maranello team and UniCredit, the Italian banking group that has taken over from the outgoing Santander. Ferrari chief executive officer Benedetto Vigna and UniCredit CEO Andrea Orcel were present for the special occasion. These commitments are obligations the Maranello team must fulfill for its partners, despite being fully absorbed in analyzing the data collected in the pre-season testing session at the 5.412-kilometre Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir two weeks ago and preparing for the imminent start of the season, which is scheduled to take place in Australia at the Melbourne circuit.
At the night’s event in Fiorano, Frederic Vasseur shared his feelings about Ferrari’s form on the eve of the 2025 F1 World Championship. According to the French manager, the sensations following the official pre-season testing session in Bahrain were positive. The head of Ferrari’s Racing Division commented that they now just had to prepare in the best possible way for the Melbourne round, where they would receive the first real feedback, without revealing too much, also considering the setting of the event.
Just a few comments from someone who is likely aware of the SF-25 car’s potential but at the same time prefers not to make predictions that could ultimately backfire. It is particularly interesting to note that, even after the on-track tests in Sakhir, the Ferrari team principal has tried to maintain as low a profile as possible, in contrast to Charles Leclerc’s bold statements following the SF-25 shakedown at the Fiorano circuit last month.
During the limited collective testing days in Sakhir, the new Maranello single-seater showed some balance issues, compounded by unusually extreme weather conditions. As admitted by the head of the Ferrari Racing Division, the Maranello team has taken a new direction in the car’s design, as after two years, it was necessary to break away from an aero-mechanical paradigm that no longer had significant development potential. This is the fundamental idea the team has sought to implement for the 2025 Formula 1 championship.
Despite the data from the testing session raising some concerns among Formula 1 insiders and experts, Frederic Vasseur explained that everything functioned correctly and that the team is working in the right direction. This is, of course, a relative assessment, as the true value of the competition will only become clear in Q3 of the inaugural Grand Prix at the 5.278-kilometre Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne on Sunday, March 16. The French boss is aware that the results of this racing campaign will reflect the worth of a team that, over the past two years, has been transformed according to his vision.
Ferrari therefore has only one goal: winning in 2025. If in 2023 Frederic Vasseur was merely the “manager” of a team shaped by Mattia Binotto’s philosophy, in 2024, the first results of his work have become evident. In the collective imagination and the intentions of top management, John Elkann first and foremost, the 2025 Formula 1 campaign must be the year of consecration. The arrival of Lewis Hamilton is the cherry on top of a project strongly desired by the president of the legendary Italian team. A move that, beyond its enormous media and marketing impact, represents the first truly significant decision by the chief executive officer of Exor.
This, at least, when considering his tenure as Ferrari’s president. The arrival of the seven-time Formula 1 world champion, at least on paper, maximizes the potential of the Italian side’s driver pairing while exponentially increasing expectations from management and fans alike. Improving on last season means bringing at least one of the two world titles back to Maranello after more than a decade and a half. And this is precisely what has driven Ferrari to take risks, as the only acceptable outcome for Frederic Vasseur’s third year in charge is reclaiming the top of the world.
— see video above —
Leave a Reply