Ferrari CEO issues fresh update on Vasseur future amid ongoing struggles

Although rumours of Fred Vasseur’s pending exit have gone quiet in recent weeks, Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna says they are “discussing” the future.

Vasseur is out of contract with Ferrari at the end of this season, with reports claiming it could be his final year as Ferrari has fallen short of the benchmark set by McLaren.

Ferrari are ‘discussing’ the future with Fred Vasseur

Having taken the fight with McLaren down to the wire in F1 2024, where Ferrari lost out on a first Constructors’ title since 2008 by just 14 points, this season the Woking team has pulled clear of the chasing pack and looks to be on course for the championship double.

It’s led to speculation that Vasseur would pay the price for Ferrari’s failure to kick on.

Halfway through the F1 2025 championship, the Italian stable has yet to secure a grand prix victory while Lewis Hamilton, who joined the team in a mega-bucks deal, hasn’t even featured on the podium.

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It was more of the same at Silverstone where the team-mates lined up fifth and sixth in a rain-affected race, Hamilton ahead of Leclerc.

Leclerc gave up his grid slot to pit on the formation lap, one of five drivers making the call to go to slicks, but, dropping back into the latter half of the field, he struggled to make inroads.

On a day when very little went right for the driver from Monaco, a late-race collision with Carlos Sainz as he struggled to keep his Ferrari on the track on the damp patches, dropped him to 14th.

Leclerc told the media, including PlanetF1.com: “We were kind of nowhere, the whole race. When I say nowhere, I was really nowhere. I was a second off and on top of that was really struggling to keep the car on track.”

Over on the other side of the Ferrari garage, Hamilton was involved in a late fight for the podium, which would’ve been his first in red, but the Briton had no answer for Nico Hulkenberg’s inspired race.

On a day when McLaren claimed its second one-two in succession, Ferrari fell 238 points behind the runaway championship leaders.

That Ferrari CEO Vigna refused to give assurances about Vasseur’s future, saying instead it is “discussing” the matter, has reignited the rumours that the Frenchman’s days in charge could be numbered.

Speaking to Sky Italia at the British Grand Prix, Vigna said: “I like to come here and see the team united. I love being with people because they are the ones who always make the difference.

“Teams grow with difficulties. Unity is strength and in Ferrari this is there and I can breathe it here.

“Vasseur’s future? He’s the team principal, it’s July and we’re discussing.

“We just had lunch together…”

Vasseur, however, gave any talk of his job being on the line short shrift when he faced the media, including PlanetF1.com, after the race.

Put to him that Vigna said they are discussing, Vasseur replied: “I have nothing to add about the discussion with Mr. Vigna.”

Sky F1‘s Ted Kravitz reckons the pressure on Vasseur’s shoulders only increased at the British Grand Prix.

Sharing his thoughts on Ferrari’s race on his Ted’s Notebook for Sky F1, he said: “Charles Leclerc pitted for slicks on the formation lap, and then had to pit to change back on lap 12.

“Lewis struggled in the first half, got passed by Russell, then fought back, got past Lance Stroll for fourth, chased Hulkenberg, but by the time his inters were finished, had to pit for new inters.

“Hulkenberg also pitted for new inters and Nico Hulkenberg had an answer for everything that Lewis Hamilton could put his way today. So finished behind Nico Hulkenberg, and would’ve really loved his first Ferrari podium and was giving it absolutely everything.

“Charles Leclerc, very unhappy, and you could argue that the pressure on Fred Vasseur is still there going into Spa with the decisions that Ferrari made, which were not the right ones on Charles Leclerc’s side of the garage.”

Ferrari’s endurance racing boss Antonello Coletta has been linked to Vasseur job as team principal, the Italian stable having taken a hat-trick of victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans (the most recent with a customer entry).

Vasseur had previously called the rumours “disrespectful”, adding: “To be the team principal – I knew when I took the position that you are exposed, and this I think is quite easy to manage.

“It’s more for the people of the team. They are working very hard and to decide one day that ‘this one will be replaced, this one is useless’ – honestly, it’s very harsh.”

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