Frederic Vasseur hits back at the press: “The attacks targeted me and Charles Leclerc”. Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur criticises the media.

The renewal of Frédéric Vasseur’s contract as Ferrari team principal had been confirmed some time ago, but during the negotiation process between the Frenchman and the Scuderia, the media speculated heavily about what really went on behind the scenes. Fred Vasseur has not forgotten how the situation was portrayed and has now decided to make his view clear.

The Ferrari team principal returned to the topic of the media storm that surrounded the Scuderia throughout the season, explaining how damaging the endless speculation and circulating rumours became. Speaking to Auto, Motor und Sport, Fred Vasseur remarked: “The turbulence came from the rumours. Those were not spread by me, but by the media.”

Frédéric Vasseur elaborated on how the first rumours, which originated in Canada, had a direct impact on the team’s work: “Neither Ferrari nor I said a word. But today it is impossible to avoid this kind of disturbance. I do not want to put all journalists in the same basket, but with the Internet coverage has become much more aggressive. There is an obligation to generate clicks. When these rumours first appeared in Canada, I was really angry, because they went far too far. My technical director, Loïc Serra, was accused of not doing a good job. Yet the 2025 car was practically ready when Loïc started working with us.”

The Frenchman also referred to another example that involved Charles Leclerc, who throughout the year was repeatedly linked with a potential move to rivals Mercedes, despite his clear statements about his long-term commitment to Ferrari. Fred Vasseur recalled: “The story with Charles Leclerc was similar. Some kept writing regularly that Charles would go to Mercedes. Nobody cared that he repeatedly confirmed he had a long-term contract with Ferrari. This had an influence on the team. In Italy, people react in a much more emotional way.”

Finally, Fred Vasseur admitted that all this background noise also made his internal discussions with Ferrari’s management more complicated than they needed to be. He concluded: “Without this noise in the background, my conversations with Ferrari would have gone much more quickly.”