Fréd Vasseur has once again addressed the impact that the media has on Ferrari, particularly after challenging race weekends. According to the Team Principal, the Scuderia receives too many criticisms during difficult races, while even a single strong session can completely change the narrative in their favor.
Fred Vasseur emphasized that the mood within the team is often influenced by external commentary. He pointed out that Ferrari’s struggles in Qatar were linked to tyre pressures. Charles Leclerc admitted he anticipated some difficulties due to the halt in aerodynamic development back in April, but he still couldn’t fully explain the collapse the team experienced in Qatar. Meanwhile, work on the 2026 car continues without pause, with hopes that early focus on Project 678 will provide an advantage. Lewis Hamilton is demanding many changes, and for Fred Vasseur, the media’s influence can negatively affect the team’s internal morale. He elaborated on these points during the FIA press conference, explaining exactly what happened over the weekend at Losail.
Fred Vasseur: “We need to stay in our bubble. The others haven’t developed”
Fred Vasseur stated that media pressure certainly doesn’t help, but it is part of the job. He noted that when Ferrari delivers strong results, the team is celebrated as world champions, but when the weekend is difficult, the team can seem invisible. “We are treated differently by the media compared to rivals. As a team, however, we have to stay in our bubble and focus on doing our best with what we have,” Fred Vasseur explained. “The pressure is on us, but we must face these situations head-on.” – the French manager pointed out.
Regarding the events of the weekend, Fred Vasseur reiterated that tyre pressures and a suboptimal setup from the start played a major role in Ferrari’s struggles. Updates introduced over the weekend had minimal impact, partly because nearly all rivals had stopped developing their current cars several races ago. “Other teams haven’t developed their cars since Austin. This weekend we struggled a lot with the setup, which was probably linked to tyre pressure requirements. We struggled from the first lap to the last. Today was slightly better, but only marginally. At the start of the weekend, we had a power steering issue, which likely added to the setup challenges. During qualifying and the sprint race, we couldn’t make changes, then we applied major updates. Today, the situation was quite okay, but we started too far behind while others made refinements.” – the Ferrari team boss concluded.
Whether the media spotlight helps or hurts, Fred Vasseur’s message is clear: the Maranello team must block out the noise, protect the people inside the garage, and keep working toward the all-important new era that starts in just a few months’ time.
