Fred Vasseur: how Ferrari brings team principal's vision to F1 track amid clear signs of progress

The Ferrari of Frederic Vasseur is soaring. Fireworks in Formula 1 this week, ladies and gentlemen, and not the cheap kind. The Maranello team from the United States and Mexico has spoiled us with victories and record laptimes, managing to rekindle the fire of hope even in the most skeptical fans who are pessimistic by nature. Not long ago, we would have paid a fortune for this result, and now that we have it, we can hardly believe it and are astonished. Perhaps it is too great a gift that we did not expect, we who have become sadly accustomed to the misfortunes of this sport.

But what has changed? If we thing about it, it has barely been a month since Frederic Vasseur’s last statements, which touted this phantom “group” that was supposed to save the drifting ship called Ferrari. And all (or almost all) of us thought: “Oh dear, the usual promises we had heard for so long from the former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto“. Yet, for once, Frederic Vasseur seems to have seen the future. It is true that, as the saying goes, even a broken clock is right twice a day, but if we want to be irreproachably optimistic, what can we think of his latest statements?

Yes, because no one truly has a magic wand, but there are those who pretend to have one, and who knows, maybe it works out for them a bit. Listening to Frederic Vasseur’s voice on the F1 media microphones, everything seems absolutely rosy and flowery; in fact, let’s also mock our most formidable opponents, “let them wage war.” It suits us as long as they throw a wrench in the works. And, as they say, between the two who quarrel, the third one benefits. The Frenchman is hopeful. He sees success ahead and is already aiming for the next race, but according to him, in Brazil the Maranello engineers and technicians will have to start from scratch.

We derive a constantly transforming team that often seems to lose its fundamental pillars, but when it finds them again, it does so for real. Indeed, what the Ferrari team principal believes is that the Italian side will be competitive until the end. And we all hope so. Above all, we wish to relive the emotions of the last two Grands Prix. A completely transformed red car that seems to have regained courage and potential, that “sparkle” it lost in the last five months after the horrific aerodynamic update introduced by Ferrari at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain. Now the Maranello team seems to have returned to shine, and Frederic Vasseur is savoring every moment of it.

The important thing is to stay focused and always look one step (and only one) ahead. After all, our Ferrari loves surprises, and they are not always positive, as we know it very well. The “sports miracle” has been accomplished for now, a feared red team that does is no longer afraid to challenge its opponents. The Constructors’ Championship? It’s possible. From the third place it occupied, sluggish and discontented, the team from Maranello is now looking down at its Austrian rivals. The recovery has been absolutely impressive. Carlos Sainz’s victory at the 4.304-kilometre Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City and Charles Leclerc’s third place have given a strong boost to the historic team, propelling it directly to second place, just 29 points behind McLaren ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix.

So if the drivers’ championship seemed like a forbidden dream, the constructors’ championship is now almost within reach, especially when we closely observe the multitude of mistakes that Ferrari’s rivals have been making in recent races. McLaren, above all, appears to be its own worst enemy. It seems incredible, but for this reason or that, other teams are showing signs of weakness and nervousness, while Frederic Vasseur’s Ferrari, which has already endured more than enough fatigue, is freely navigating through the raindrops, remaining dry.

And in the Mexican race, indeed, anything can happen; whether it was the 20-second penalty for Max Verstappen or the Alex Albon – Yuki Tsunoda incident. The fact is that Ferrari found itself in the right place at the right time and just had to hit the accelerator. Carlos Sainz managed the situation excellently, showing from the start of the Mexican weekend that he was fired up and eager to achieve this goal, almost wanting to give his team a friendly slap: “You want to send me away? I’ll show you the potential you’re losing.”

Meanwhile, we have to say that Mercedes is still waiting for the 2026 Formula 1 championship to shine, but our almost-number 44 isn’t particularly distinguishing himself and takes a myriad of laps to overtake teammate George Russell. Therefore, all he can aim for is a step below the winners’ podium. A Ferrari that we like, that has character, but it must also be careful not to overdo it and to manage the situation with clarity, or it risks retracing Red Bull’s fall, which seems to have pushed so hard on the accelerator that it has run out of fuel.

In the meantime, let’s hope that Frederic Vasseur’s comments are prophetic and that we can fully enjoy these last races of the 2024 Formula 1 championship, now that Ferrari finally seems aware of its capabilities and has nothing to lose. The Ferrari F1 team is determined to give it its all, without hiding and without that primal fear of making mistakes that often led to errors in the not so distant past. There are still four races left to demonstrate that Frederic Vasseur’s red team is not a mirage, but a well-established structure on which to build future successes in Formula 1.