Who is Antonello Coletta? Meet the Ferrari endurance boss tipped as successor to Fred Vasseur

Fred Vasseur is faltering and the top management remains silent, with trust in the team principal seemingly at an all-time low: is Ferrari ready to replace the Frenchman? A “winning” name stands out

From the brilliant winter promises to the increasingly cold shower of a 2025 season that already seems like a failure. After ten championship rounds, the Scuderia appears lost in terms of performance and team environment, and the problems that seemed to be on their way to being solved during the first two years of the Fred Vasseur era have now resurfaced more clearly than ever. Yet another underwhelming weekend in Canada has put the French team leader back on trial—if he was ever truly “safe”: despite the Frenchman’s reassurances, some say the ownership’s trust in him is far from unshakable. Fred Vasseur is faltering and seems to have lost his grip on the situation: some voices around Ferrari point to the “winner” Antonello Coletta as a possible replacement for the current F1 team principal.

The 2023 and 2024 seasons had led Ferrari fans to believe that, after the Mattia Binotto era, the team could climb back to the top and win a world title. The illusion became even stronger when Ferrari came close to the Constructors’ title just six months ago. Despite the defeat in Abu Dhabi 2024, there was a sense of optimism in Maranello—fueled by the imminent arrival of Lewis Hamilton—for a positive 2025.

However, the current Formula One season is proving to be anything but positive for Fred Vasseur’s team. On track, the Prancing Horse is the only top team yet to claim a win this season. But the performance aspect is just the tip of the iceberg, revealing the deeper cracks within. The team—aside from the now flawless pit crew—appears fragmented and lacking confidence. Drivers Chares Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton harbour discontent that the team leader does not seem able to manage effectively, especially in front of journalists.

Fred Vasseur is faltering: Coletta emerges as the Ferrari solution
The general impression is that the team principal from Draveil, the much-praised “chef” of just a few months ago, no longer has the situation under control. Adding to the increasingly delicate context is the resounding silence from the top brass in Maranello. Vasseur is faltering but “feels the trust of the ownership.” At least, that’s what the team principal projected after the Montréal race. The executives, however, remain silent, and rumours are mounting, to the point of already outlining the perfect replacement for the current TP.

Among the rising candidates is Antonello Coletta, head of Ferrari’s Endurance division. The Italian manager is dominating the WEC with the winning 499P and has just brought home Ferrari’s third consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans win—right as the SF-25 was struggling through the Canadian corners. “La Gazzetta dello Sport” places him in pole position for the post-Vasseur role. It’s not the first time Coletta’s name has come up; he has previously been linked to the F1 division: many consider the class of ’67 a potential solution for the Scuderia.

Revolution or stability? The fork in the road facing Ferrari President John Elkann is not an easy one. Cutting the head of the current F1 team would mean starting over right before a major regulatory overhaul, a moment when internal stability would instead be preferable. “We don’t need revolutions,” the Ferrari team principal tried to explain after the Canadian GP. Fred Vasseur projects confidence in his project, but time is running out: after Montréal, the summer brings the Circus back to Europe. Already in Spielberg, Ferrari must deliver answers, aiming to rescue the season both in terms of results and internal morale.

Who is Antonello Coletta, among the candidates to replace Fred Vasseur at Ferrari
Fred Vasseur is on shaky ground and the name of Antonello Coletta is surfacing insistently. A graduate in Economics and Commerce from “La Sapienza,” the 1967-born Roman is Global Head of Endurance and Corse Clienti for the Maranello-based company. With a past at Peugeot and Alfa Romeo, the Italian manager joined Ferrari in 1997. Since 2015—as stated on Ferrari’s official website—he has headed Endurance and Corse Clienti. A central figure in the Hypercar project, Antonello Coletta brought Ferrari back to victory at Le Mans.

After four wins in the first four rounds of the Endurance Championship, including Le Mans, Coletta’s Ferraris lead the 2025 WEC standings with a wide gap over their closest rivals.