Fred Vasseur warns: Tyres have been the key factor in Formula 1 for 25 years. Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur says tyre management has been the key to success in F1 for the past 25 years.

Tyre management remains the most critical element in modern Formula 1 racing, according to Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur. The Frenchman has pointed out what he believes is one of the most sensitive and decisive aspects of any Grand Prix weekend. In a sport where mere tenths of a second can change everything—from pole position to missing out on Q3—Fred Vasseur has no doubt: bringing the tyres into the optimal operating window is one of the key components for success.

In a recent interview with RacingNews365, Frédéric Vasseur underlined the long-term importance of this issue in Formula 1:
“It’s not just the key factor of this season, it’s been the key factor of the last 25 seasons,” the Ferrari boss stated. He went on to explain that the challenge becomes even more significant when the grid is tightly packed in terms of performance.

“This is especially true when the field is close. Even McLaren, from one session to another, depending on the conditions, can find themselves six or seven tenths off the pace—and everything is influenced by external variables such as track conditions,” he added.

Fred Vasseur emphasized that even the smallest details related to the asphalt and the configuration of the circuit have an increasingly critical impact on competitiveness: “We’re all fighting to be competitive in every possible condition, but so much depends on the nature of the tarmac and the shape of the track,” he explained. “We’ve already seen how difficult it is to catch up to McLaren, because right now they have the upper hand. On certain tracks or under particular conditions, we can challenge them, but overall, they still hold the advantage—even though we’re still fighting closely with both Mercedes and Red Bull.”

Despite the current difficulties, the French team principal remains focused on ending the season on a positive note, with at least a few victories for Scuderia Ferrari.
“We are still in the fight to win some races, and that’s important for the team—not only for this season but also as we prepare for the new regulations coming in 2026,” Fred Vasseur concluded ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.

Ferrari’s ongoing struggle to optimize tyre performance under various conditions is emblematic of a larger trend in Formula 1, where technical parity between teams means that subtle differences—like tyre temperature, surface grip, or even track elevation—can decide the outcome of a race. And in that context, Frédéric Vasseur’s words serve as a reminder that tyres have always been, and remain, the true balancing point in Formula 1 performance.