Since the beginning of 2023, Frédéric Vasseur has held the role of Ferrari team principal, arguably the most demanding job anywhere on the Formula 1 grid. The challenge goes far beyond managing race weekends, with Ferrari’s lengthy Formula 1 title drought and the enormous pressure that comes with representing the Prancing Horse making the role uniquely intense.
Over the past few years, Ferrari supporters have become familiar with the French manager’s communication style. Frédéric Vasseur has consistently tried to shield his team from speculation, rumours, and outside noise that could undermine confidence or disrupt work both at the track and back in Maranello.
However, with just six victories under Frédéric Vasseur’s leadership so far, many Ferrari fans are still waiting for the breakthrough moment that never quite seems to arrive, even when his public comments appear to suggest one may be close.
Frédéric Vasseur, for example, described the 2025 technical directive on flexible front wings as a potential “gamechanger.” That scenario never really materialised. He later explained that Ferrari had chosen to halt aerodynamic development relatively early last season in order to focus heavily on the 2026 Formula 1 regulations, yet the start to this new era has hardly been spectacular.
Then came talk of the “one-and-a-half upgrade package” introduced for Miami, which so far does not appear to have transformed the Ferrari SF-26 into a genuine frontrunner. Now, attention is being directed toward the ADUO mechanism, with Frédéric Vasseur once again building anticipation around what Ferrari might gain.
FormulaPassion.it put the question directly to two respected figures from the Italian motorsport world: veteran journalist Pino Allievi and Francesco Cigarini, who spent more than two decades working in Maranello. Their question was simple: how should Ferrari fans interpret Frédéric Vasseur’s communication strategy? Should the Ferrari team principal be more openly self-critical?
Pino Allievi: “Vasseur mixes truths with vague and misleading messaging”
“I do not know many team bosses who genuinely show self-critical honesty, apart from Andrea Stella and, in some cases, Toto Wolff.
That said, Frédéric Vasseur sometimes tells truths that are wrapped in vague and misleading language, only to later be contradicted by the drivers.
I’ll give an example: Lewis Hamilton’s harsh criticism regarding the lack of correlation between simulator data and real track performance. That was an important and brutally honest analysis, and it should have come from Frédéric Vasseur himself.
Was there a hidden message in Lewis Hamilton’s words? Who knows. I would not want Ferrari to fall back into the trap of ready-made excuses, already thinking about tomorrow instead of dealing with today. That would be suicidal. Ferrari must focus on the present, the next races, and the current championship, which is still very much open. It would be a serious mistake to turn the page now and dedicate everything to a hypothetical future that remains distant and uncertain.”
Francesco Cigarini: “A team principal can be self-critical without saying everything publicly”
“A team principal represents the voice of the team and shares the perspective of the technical leadership group. So his position is shaped not only by his own views, but also by what is happening on track and by discussions with the key figures around him. In some cases, the team principal protects the team even if that means attracting criticism for the way he defends it. The goal is to reduce pressure on the technical and operational departments, both at the circuit and back in Maranello. Self-criticism can absolutely exist, even if it is not expressed publicly to the media. But when victories do not come, the number of critics grows exponentially, just as Ferrari fans’ desire to see the Scuderia winning again continues to intensify.”
What do Ferrari fans think?
We would also like to hear your view: how do you assess Frédéric Vasseur’s communication strategy during his time at Ferrari? Let us know with a comment at the end of the article or on our social media channels: Facebook Group / Facebook Page / X (former Twitter), TikTok, Instagram and Youtube.
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