At the conclusion of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which wrapped up the 2025 season, Fred Vasseur shared his thoughts on Ferrari’s year while already looking ahead to 2026.
The 2025 season proved full of challenges for Ferrari under the leadership of Fred Vasseur. Early hopes quickly collided with a reality revealed on track, as the SF-25, from the Bahrain tests onwards, showed clear limitations compared to the SF-24 that performed so strongly in the previous championship.
Despite the difficulties, Ferrari ended the year on a somewhat positive note. Lewis Hamilton managed to climb to eighth place, while Charles Leclerc finished fourth after a race where he was prominently in the mix for much of the event.
Vasseur’s comments after the final race of the season
After the last Grand Prix of 2025, Fred Vasseur reflected on Ferrari’s performance in Abu Dhabi. “The season was difficult, but we need to distinguish between the performance of a single weekend and that of the entire season. From Bahrain onwards, our pace wasn’t magical, and with the double disqualification in China during the first races, we lost crucial points, starting off on the back foot.”
The Ferrari team principal also revisited the key moments of the year. “After three or four races, McLaren was probably 100 points ahead. Compared to last year, we started behind, but we remain competitive and determined to achieve good results.”
Fred Vasseur also noted some positive aspects. “We saw good progress after the summer break, especially in Mexico, but we ran into small details. In today’s F1, a tenth of a second can mean the difference between P6 and P16, and every tiny error changes everything.”
Looking ahead to 2026
Now, attention is already on the 2026 Formula 1 season. “The car philosophy will be completely different, the problems of this year won’t recur, but new challenges will arise. The championship isn’t decided in Australia: it will be a long season, and the key will be rapid and consistent development. No matter where we are, it’s important to keep pushing,” concluded the French engineer.
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