Key Highlights
- Ferrari says it has already made its leadership decisions and has “full confidence” in Team Principal Fred Vasseur.
- The statement follows renewed speculation linked to former Red Bull team boss Christian Horner and Ferrari’s recent run of results.
- Ferrari wants its focus at Sepang to remain on race performance, team unity and its championship challenge rather than speculation about Vasseur’s future.
Ferrari Backs Fred Vasseur Amid Team Principal Speculation
Ferrari has moved to end speculation about Fred Vasseur’s future by confirming that the Italian Formula 1 team has made its “choices already” and retains “full confidence” in the Frenchman and his management team.
Vasseur joined Ferrari at the start of the 2023 season, but his position has repeatedly been questioned. The latest round of speculation emerged during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend after former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who is promoting a new book, told The Times that Ferrari would be the “dream” destination for him.
The discussion comes as Ferrari sits second in the Teams’ Championship behind Mercedes but has failed to score a podium in its last five events. Addressing the situation in Baku on Saturday, Vasseur expressed frustration at the continuing focus on his position.
“We are not working in the perfect serenity.
“For me, first, but for everybody in the team, for the media, for 50% of the questions [to be] about this, it’s a bit of a frustrating situation.
“We are fighting for P2 in the championship, and at the end of the day, we are all speaking a lot about this, and even for the guys in the garage, to discuss about this.
“But it is what it is, it’s not in my hands. Mr Horner is looking for a job – that everybody knows – everywhere. But what can I do? Just try to do my best to push the team, to rise them to be motivated, focus on what is better today.”
Ferrari Says Leadership Decision Has Already Been Made
On Tuesday morning, ahead of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Ferrari held an impromptu briefing with selected media to publicly support Vasseur. Maria Conti, Ferrari’s Chief Communication Officer, said the team wanted to address the growing discussion before it overshadowed the upcoming race at Sepang.
“In the recent days there has been increasing speculation surrounding Scuderia Ferrari HP and particularly dedicated to its leadership,” said Chief Communication Officer Maria Conti. “So Ferrari’s position is clear, [it] has not changed.
“Ferrari has made its choices already. We have full confidence in Fred Vasseur and in his team and we continue to do so. At this time, it’s really important that the team remains united and cohesive, and we focused all the energy on the work ahead.
“Ferrari has always attracted extraordinary interest and it’s only natural that many professionals aspire to be part of it. It is a reflection of the strength of what Ferrari really represents.”
Conti said Ferrari did not want to encourage further reports based on external assumptions, stressing that the issue extended beyond Horner’s comments in The Times.
“This is why we really want to avoid, and we do not intend to fuel, speculation or comment on assumption coming from outside the company. It’s not just related to the story with The Times of Mr Horner, but in general, there is a lot of speculation about that.
“So again, we have confidence in Fred Vasseur and his team, and we continue to do so. And the position is clear, but not just now, we already confirmed in the past.
“Our focus now is on the work. We would like to be focused on the future. And this is always the Ferrari spirit and the spirit of our founder – humility and complete focus in the future.
“We are doing that today because we would like to avoid that the next weekend in Malaysia will be focused only on this kind of gossip and speculation. We would like to be focused on the race, on the performance, on the team, on Fred.”
Ferrari said it had issued the statement because it could “see the storm of communication [on social media] was increasing when normally it is going down”. The team also said the “different stories” about Vasseur were “not useful” as it prepares for the race at Sepang.
Conti added that the position was aligned with Ferrari Chairman John Elkann and Chief Executive Officer Benedetto Vigna. The statement represents the latest public backing from Ferrari’s senior leadership for Vasseur, who has faced repeated questions about his future during his time in charge.
Vasseur’s Record and Ferrari’s Championship Challenge
Ferrari has not won a World Championship since 2008, meaning Vasseur has yet to deliver a title during his tenure. However, the length of Ferrari’s wait underlines the difficulty of returning the team to the top of Formula 1, and responsibility for that failure cannot be assigned to one person alone.
Vasseur has brought greater stability to Ferrari and has restructured several areas of the organization while giving the technical team more freedom to take risks. His leadership has also been a factor in Charles Leclerc committing his future to Ferrari into the 2030s and Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes, where he won six of his seven world titles, to join the Italian team.
Ferrari fought for the Teams’ Championship until the final race of the 2024 season. This year, Vasseur’s encouragement of innovation and willingness to protect personnel when risks do not succeed helped produce a package that enabled Leclerc and Hamilton to secure one victory each.
Although Ferrari has been out-developed by McLaren in recent races, it remains second in the Teams’ Championship and the closest challenger to Mercedes. The team has also appeared to find a more consistent development pattern, adding performance whenever it introduces an update—something Ferrari had struggled to achieve for several years.
Ferrari has not matched Mercedes and McLaren consistently, while Red Bull has also improved in recent races, but the Italian team remains firmly in contention. Vasseur’s supporters argue that his work to unite the organization and protect its staff has helped create the conditions needed for a sustained title challenge.
Why This Matters
Speculation about the Ferrari team principal’s position is significant because leadership stability is central to the team’s effort to return to championship-winning form. Ferrari is one of Formula 1’s most prominent organizations, and pressure on its management is intensified by the team’s long wait for a title.
The public endorsement from Ferrari, John Elkann and Benedetto Vigna is intended to give Vasseur and his team greater breathing space. Ferrari’s immediate objective is to shift attention back to performance at Sepang, while its longer-term challenge is to convert recent technical progress and improved internal stability into a sustained fight for the championship.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fred Vasseur leaving Ferrari?
Ferrari has said that it has already made its leadership decisions and has “full confidence” in Fred Vasseur and his team. The company has not announced any change to his position.
Why was Vasseur’s future being questioned?
Speculation intensified after former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said Ferrari would be the “dream” destination for him. The discussion was also fueled by Ferrari’s recent run without a podium, despite the team remaining second in the Teams’ Championship.
What is Ferrari’s current championship position?
Ferrari is second in the Teams’ Championship behind Mercedes. The team remains the closest challenger to Mercedes, although McLaren and Red Bull have shown stronger performance in recent races.









