Ferrari Face Deepening Crisis Ahead of F1 Summer Break as Fred Vasseur’s Future Remains Uncertain
As Formula 1 edges closer to the 2025 summer break, Scuderia Ferrari find themselves in an increasingly unstable position—far from the title contenders many had predicted they would be at the start of the year.
After narrowly missing out on the 2024 constructors’ title by just 14 points, Ferrari entered the current season with sky-high expectations. The arrival of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton alongside Charles Leclerc was viewed as the final piece of the puzzle for the Scuderia to mount a serious challenge for both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships. Instead, after 10 rounds, Ferrari have underperformed in both standings.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton currently sit fifth and sixth in the drivers’ championship, a long way off the frontrunners. With the Austrian Grand Prix up next, Ferrari are in danger of falling a staggering 200 points behind McLaren—a gap that would essentially end any remaining hope of title contention.
The underwhelming performance of the SF-25 and the team’s inability to consistently deliver results have sparked rumours of a significant shake-up in Maranello. Team principal Fred Vasseur, whose contract runs out at the end of the season, is now under increasing scrutiny.
Charles Leclerc has continued to back Fred Vasseur publicly, describing his leadership as “fantastic,” and Lewis Hamilton has previously credited the Frenchman as a major reason behind his decision to join Ferrari from Mercedes. However, the mood within the paddock ahead of the Spielberg weekend is filled with uncertainty, and questions about Ferrari’s leadership direction continue to grow.
F1 Paddock Uncertain About Ferrari’s Leadership Amid Fred Vasseur Exit Speculation
Fred Vasseur has acknowledged that he places intense pressure on himself to deliver victories, but the Maranello team has only managed three podiums so far—none from Lewis Hamilton—and only a Sprint Race win in Shanghai has provided brief respite from what has otherwise been a disappointing season.
Reports indicate Ferrari chairman John Elkann is becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the team’s trajectory. His silence on the French manager status during a public appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans—where Ferrari’s endurance team secured a third consecutive win—has only added fuel to the speculation.
According to a report by the Italian website AutoRacer, even insiders within the paddock claim that “no one” knows what Ferrari’s top brass is planning after the disappointing Canadian Grand Prix. The lack of transparency from the team’s leadership has created a vacuum of speculation, with many wondering whether Fred Vasseur will remain in charge if results fail to improve over the coming weeks.
Lewis Hamilton Demands Urgent Change at Ferrari as Pressure Builds
Lewis Hamilton, brought in to elevate Ferrari’s competitiveness, is experiencing a challenging transition in his first year with the team. Despite his pedigree, the 40-year-old has yet to secure a single podium finish and trails Leclerc by 25 points in the standings.
His adaptation to the SF-25 has been far from smooth. Communication issues with race engineer Riccardo Adami and dissatisfaction with Ferrari’s set-up philosophy—described as “too narrow”—have made his integration more difficult than expected. Unlike his highly tailored experience at Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton is still finding his footing in the Maranello-based squad.
The British driver has been vocal in urging the team to accelerate the development of upgrades for the current car, in the hopes of salvaging performance in the second half of the season. Yet Lewis Hamilton also wants Ferrari to prioritise preparations for the sweeping regulation changes coming in 2026, making resource allocation a complex dilemma.
Caught between fixing the present and preparing for the future, Ferrari must decide whether to continue investing in the SF-25 or fully pivot to the 2026 project. For the Briton, time is running out to claim his elusive eighth world title, and for Ferrari, the cost of another failed campaign could extend beyond silverware—it may redefine the future leadership of the team.
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