Juan Pablo Montoya has urged Ferrari not to repeat a familiar mistake from its recent Formula 1 history, explaining why dismissing team principal Fred Vasseur would be the wrong decision at a crucial moment for the Scuderia.
The Formula 1 world is preparing to fire up its engines in Australia, with global attention firmly focused on Ferrari. The 2026 season is shaping up to be decisive for the Prancing Horse, which has now gone eighteen years without winning the Constructors’ Championship. For a team of Ferrari’s stature, that drought weighs heavily, and expectations from fans across the globe are enormous.
It will also be a defining campaign for Fred Vasseur, who carries significant responsibility on his shoulders: bringing the Constructors’ title back to Maranello. For the Frenchman, this marks his fourth consecutive year as Ferrari team principal. After a disappointing 2025 season that failed to meet expectations, the Scuderia must aim high and deliver concrete results if it wants to re-establish itself at the top of Formula 1.
The early signs from pre-season testing in Bahrain have been encouraging and have given tifosi genuine reasons for optimism. The car appeared competitive, the long-run pace was promising, and the overall package suggested that Ferrari could be in the fight. Naturally, that has only increased the expectations surrounding Fred Vasseur. But if he were unable to bring that long-awaited championship back to Maranello, what would his future look like?
Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has carefully analysed Ferrari’s history and has effectively “accused” the Italian team of frequently repeating the same mistake: when things go wrong, the person at the top is shown the door.
“The question is: if it doesn’t work, is it his fault?” the former Colombian driver asked during an appearance on Vision4Sport. “I think this is Ferrari’s biggest problem: every time something doesn’t work, they get rid of the best person. You have to be able to build, you have to get rid of that fear and get rid of anyone who has that mentality.”
Montoya’s comments highlight a long-standing issue that many F1 insiders have pointed out over the years: instability at leadership level can undermine even the most ambitious technical projects. In a sport where continuity, long-term planning and trust within the organisation are crucial, constant changes at the top can disrupt development and weaken team morale.
The Colombian also encouraged Ferrari’s engineering department to focus on constructing a strong foundation rather than tearing projects apart at the first sign of difficulty. In modern Formula 1, where marginal gains can decide championships, building the right technical structure is essential.
“They have to build instead of destroy,” Montoya added. “Either you have enough capable people to build the best car, or you don’t. If you don’t, you have to figure out how to hire the best people and understand what it takes to hire the best people and build a good team on a solid foundation.”
His remarks underline a key principle of success in Formula 1: talent acquisition and retention are just as important as aerodynamic upgrades or power unit performance. Ferrari’s challenge is not only about extracting more speed from the car, but also about creating an environment where top engineers, designers and strategists can thrive without fear of abrupt changes whenever results fluctuate.
At this delicate and highly strategic moment for Ferrari, Montoya stressed that unity within the team is absolutely fundamental. Internal divisions, political manoeuvring and a culture of blame, in his view, are obstacles that the Scuderia can no longer afford if it truly wants to return to championship-winning form.
“You can’t say the car is terrible and that you need to bring in someone else. They have to stop firing and moving people around, and leave politics at home,” he concluded, offering this pointed piece of advice.
As Ferrari prepares for what could be one of the most important seasons in its modern Formula 1 history, Montoya’s shows that success is rarely built overnight. Stability, trust and long-term vision may prove to be just as decisive as outright speed on track. For a team chasing its first Constructors’ Championship in nearly two decades, avoiding past mistakes could be the first step toward finally reclaiming glory.
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