Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur feels the heat as media pressure intensifies and rumors about Christian Horner’s potential arrival continue to swirl. The Frenchman, however, refuses to back down and has openly defended both his leadership and the work of the engineers around him. Speaking in an extensive interview with The Athletic during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, Fred Vasseur addressed the ongoing speculation and his own handling of criticism.
Vasseur under fire
With Christian Horner’s name constantly circulating behind the scenes — not necessarily for an immediate replacement, but as a possible future option depending on Ferrari’s performance in 2026 — Frédéric Vasseur once again finds himself in the spotlight. The Maranello boss, though, has made it clear that he stands firmly behind the project he is leading and the people who are building the next generation of Ferrari Formula 1 cars.
Ferrari, Vasseur speaks out
“I’ve been in this sport for 30 years,” said Fred Vasseur, who has led Ferrari since January 9, 2023. “I knew perfectly well that criticism would come, that I’d get some s*** thrown at me. The attacks during the Montreal weekend? They didn’t really hurt the team, even though such things are obviously very negative for us. I knew I’d have to live with pressure — it’s part of Formula 1’s DNA — but I think there’s already enough of it on track without having to face more when we’re back home. We already know very well that we must deliver results. As for the newspapers, I don’t read them; I don’t even watch TV. I only hear what the press office tells me, and that’s fine by me. Anyway, that’s all in the past. We’re focused on the future.”
For Fred Vasseur, that future revolves around one of his core principles: perfect execution of the race weekend plan. “I think the biggest problem,” he explained, “is that we’ve lost some good opportunities. Take a weekend like Baku, for example — we had the pace to do much, much better. But that’s how it went. We just need to pay a lot more attention to execution if we want to have a really strong weekend.”
McLaren isn’t that far ahead
According to Fred Vasseur, even McLaren — currently seen as the benchmark team — isn’t out of reach. “Every team goes through highs and lows,” he said. “I’d say that when McLaren have a bad weekend, they’re still fighting at the front, and when they get it right, they’re practically flying. But there’s no magic button in Formula 1. If you start a weekend with a big problem, you often lose the right direction and have to play it safe with the setup, which means you lose confidence and everything that comes with it.”
Despite the noise surrounding his position, Frédéric Vasseur appears determined to stay focused on results rather than rumors. His message was clear — Ferrari must remain united, sharpen execution, and trust the long-term process that he has put in motion.
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