Fred Vasseur targets McLaren F1 engineers, but Ferrari gets a firm no. Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur tried to recruit top McLaren aerodynamicist Giuseppe Pesce.

Fred Vasseur’s search for prominent engineers to strengthen the team continues, but he has received a major rejection from a McLaren aerodynamicist.

Ferrari’s hunt for high-level engineers to reinforce the team continues, and this time Fred Vasseur approached McLaren. The SF-25 is falling short of expectations due to a car from which it is impossible to extract its full potential – the drivers’ statements, especially those from Charles Leclerc, have been clear-eyed.

Part of the responsibility has been placed on the technical department, which has been unable to find the right direction to unlock the performance needed for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to chase the McLarens.

And Fred Vasseur turned to the heart of the Woking team. As reported by Corriere della Sera, the Ferrari team principal tried to convince Italian Giuseppe Pesce to return to Maranello, but received a firm rejection. The leading aerodynamicist, head of the staff under Andrea Stella, had previously worked at Ferrari for eight years, from 2004 to 2011.

Pesce later moved to the United Kingdom for family reasons: his wife is English. There, he found a position at McLaren Racing, where he has now worked for thirteen years. “The other nine teams in the paddock would be happy to take Giuseppe Pesce from us,” Stella told Motorsport with a touch of pride.

Fred Vasseur’s approach didn’t work: the aerodynamicist preferred to turn down the offer from the Prancing Horse to remain loyal to the papaya team. A sense of confusion can be felt at the Maranello outfit. The experience of Loic Serra, brought in from Mercedes, hasn’t been enough. The problems with the SF-25 persist.

Fred Vasseur made a desperate attempt to recruit someone from the competition to try to uncover the secrets of a dominant McLaren, which in Miami had a one-second advantage over both Ferraris. The situation at Maranello appears inescapable. No upgrades are scheduled, and the future of the Prancing Horse looks increasingly bleak – even with 2026 in sight.