Frédéric Vasseur reflected on Ferrari’s outstanding result at the 2026 British Grand Prix, where Charles Leclerc claimed victory and Lewis Hamilton secured third place. It was a remarkable and largely unexpected outcome ahead of the Silverstone weekend, prompting the Ferrari team principal to assess the Scuderia’s performance and address whether the Maranello team is now genuinely in contention for the Formula 1 world championships alongside Mercedes.
Ferrari’s second victory of the season at Silverstone represents a major step forward, particularly after Kimi Antonelli’s late-race problem dropped the Mercedes driver out of the points. Closing the gap to Mercedes remains a difficult challenge, as the W17 continues to set the benchmark for outright pace. However, Ferrari has managed to capitalize on every opportunity, while the introduction of the second evolution of its power unit, made possible by using the second of its two available ADUO development tokens, could further strengthen the team’s competitiveness in the coming races.
Frédéric Vasseur urges caution over championship expectations
The French team principal first expressed his delight at Charles Leclerc’s victory and Lewis Hamilton’s podium finish:
“Yes, of course, I’m happy for myself, for the team and for Lewis. He also drove a very good race. But above all, I’m happy for Charles because, as I’ve already said, he received a lot of criticism, yet he always knew the team was behind him, and we knew we could count on him to keep pushing. We have enormous confidence in Charles, and today I’m more than happy to see him standing on the top step of the podium.”
Fred Vasseur also commented on Lewis Hamilton losing second place on the final lap after the Safety Car remained on track despite indications it would come in: “Yes, we had the opportunity to take the position because we also had the soft tyres on his car. I didn’t understand why they extended the Safety Car for one more lap. Perhaps there was still some gravel on the track, which had been shown on the broadcast.”
Discussing Ferrari’s overall race pace, Fred Vasseur acknowledged the strength shown by both Mercedes drivers: “We were more competitive than George Russell, but it looked like Kimi was even faster. I don’t know if he was managing his pace at the beginning, but once he rejoined after the pit stop he was incredibly quick, and it would have been a very tough fight for Charles until the finish. We’ll happily take the result as it came.”
As is often the case in Formula 1, reliability issues and misfortune are part of the sport. Even so, Ferrari fully deserved its victory after the progress and hard work the team has put in over recent weeks.
When asked about Ferrari’s chances in the championship battle, however, Fred Vasseur remained cautious: “Let’s not start talking about the championship. Let’s enjoy tonight, and then we’ll start working on Spa. We’ll take it one race at a time.”
Ferrari focused on steady progress rather than title predictions
Expanding further on the prospect of fighting for the world championships, Fred Vasseur explained:
“The championship fight is real, but after Barcelona, when we heard people saying ‘Ferrari is back in the championship,’ I said no. The following week I heard people saying ‘Ferrari is nowhere,’ and again I said no. Tomorrow morning we’ll have exactly the same approach we’ve always had, and now let me focus on Spa. It’s not that we’re champions now, and it’s not that we’re nowhere either. We’re improving step by step.
“That’s simply how I see it. I never try to draw conclusions after a series of races, whether the results are good or bad. I’m only focused on doing more, doing better, and I believe that’s true not only for me but for everyone back at the factory.”
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