On the eve of the season’s start, no one would have bet a single cent on seeing a Ferrari in such difficulty after just six races. Yet the third Ferrari under Fred Vasseur’s management is already over 150 points behind McLaren after the Miami debacle, which even left the drivers speechless.
In Florida, the SF-25 appeared completely devoid of performance, to the point of exasperating even Charles Leclerc, who usually manages to see the glass half full. The Monegasque, seventh at the finish line after a double position swap with Lewis Hamilton, seemed instead to be utterly hopeless. His words (and his silences) reveal an awareness of once again having a car full of problems in his hands, with the dream of a world title slowly turning into a mirage.
Fred Vasseur also in the crosshairs of criticism
What’s also striking are Fred Vasseur’s increasingly inconsistent statements. The Scuderia Ferrari team principal, now in his third year at the helm, seems no longer able to disguise the limits of an SF-25 that was presented as the car to bring success back. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by engineer Mazzola who, after the Miami race, shared his thoughts on Ferrari’s current state. “The motto has changed a bit. When Mattia Binotto was around, ‘we needed to understand’; now with Fred Vasseur, ‘we need to search’. And they’re searching for this blessed potential without managing to find it—because it isn’t there. Let’s be honest. The two drivers are convinced of it, and the performance is what it is. Also, every time Fred Vasseur is asked about updates, he seems to downplay them.”
“I have this doubt—and I hope I’m wrong—that the updates coming will be very little. That’s why he prefers to shift attention to the potential, even though it no longer aligns with what the drivers are saying. And the situation seems disastrous for him,” said the pundit on Race Anatomy.
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