Fred Vasseur furious: Ferrari must fix this problem before the Austin GP

Fred Vasseur furious: Ferrari must fix this problem before the Austin GP. Ferrari team principal Fréd Vasseur insists the team must solve critical brake and temperature management issues.

Fred Vasseur, Ferrari team principal 2025

Fréd Vasseur is extremely frustrated following the Singapore Grand Prix. The Ferrari team principal has raised his voice after the disappointing performance under the lights in Singapore, insisting that Ferrari must resolve a key problem limiting the drivers before the Austin race.Ferrari is currently the only team struggling significantly with brake temperature management. This issue is not primarily related to Brembo’s supply, as other teams use the same components. The difference lies in how these components are utilized. Ferrari attempts to bring the tires up to temperature using internal duct strategies, which leads to mandatory in-race management during hot conditions. Following cars in traffic further complicates the situation due to turbulent air.

Andrea Algeri, Brembo Racing’s F1 engineer and customer manager, explained: “The air intakes may look the same, but inside the ducts, each team has a different setup. Every team decides how to distribute airflow between discs, calipers, and tires. Ferrari may have opted for more extreme solutions to gain aerodynamic efficiency, but as a result, they have to manage hotter brake systems.” Now, Fred Vasseur is determined to find a solution.

Fred Vasseur: “If we can’t solve this…”

Fred Vasseur stated: “We didn’t experience overheating from the first lap, but from the second or third, and we had to use lift-and-coast techniques. It’s not easy for the drivers because they have to adjust braking points every lap. Clearly, when we pushed for a couple of laps with Lewis Hamilton, the pace was decent, but you can’t spend 95% of the race managing the brakes. It’s exhausting to manage this for the entire race, and in the end, it’s frustrating for the team because we aren’t pushing to our limits. We’re making a huge effort to be competitive, but if you have to manage all race long, it’s not ideal. If we can’t fix these problems, there’s no way to fight for results. We definitely have to solve this issue by next week. Both aspects go hand in hand.”

It’s important to remember that the SF-25 has other design flaws. The front axle is too conservatively designed, and even the brake cooling updates introduced in Baku have not provided current improvements. Ferrari will need to fight to maintain at least third place in the Constructors’ Championship, though this will be difficult. Beyond the technical challenges, the internal team atmosphere is tense, understandably so. Ferrari could seriously end the season without a single win, which would only increase the already enormous pressure on the 2026 project.