Ferrari staff principal Frédéric Vasseur feels the warmth as media stress intensifies and rumors about Christian Horner’s potential arrival proceed to swirl. The Frenchman, nonetheless, refuses to again down and has brazenly defended each his management and the work of the engineers round him. Talking in an in depth interview with The Athletic in the course of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, Fred Vasseur addressed the continued hypothesis and his personal dealing with of criticism.
Vasseur beneath hearth
With Christian Horner’s identify continually circulating behind the scenes — not essentially for a direct alternative, however as a attainable future choice relying on Ferrari’s efficiency in 2026 — Frédéric Vasseur as soon as once more finds himself within the highlight. The Maranello boss, although, has made it clear that he stands firmly behind the mission he’s main and the people who find themselves constructing the subsequent technology of Ferrari System 1 automobiles.
Ferrari, Vasseur speaks out
“I’ve been on this sport for 30 years,” mentioned Fred Vasseur, who has led Ferrari since January 9, 2023. “I knew completely effectively that criticism would come, that I’d get some s*** thrown at me. The assaults in the course of the Montreal weekend? They didn’t actually damage the staff, although such issues are clearly very unfavorable for us. I knew I’d should dwell with stress — it’s a part of System 1’s DNA — however I feel there’s already sufficient of it on monitor with out having to face extra once we’re again dwelling. We already know very effectively that we should ship outcomes. As for the newspapers, I don’t learn them; I don’t even watch TV. I solely hear what the press workplace tells me, and that’s high-quality by me. Anyway, that’s all previously. We’re centered on the longer term.”
For Fred Vasseur, that future revolves round one in every of his core rules: good execution of the race weekend plan. “I feel the largest downside,” he defined, “is that we’ve misplaced some good alternatives. Take a weekend like Baku, for instance — we had the tempo to do a lot, a lot better. However that’s the way it went. We simply must pay much more consideration to execution if we wish to have a very robust weekend.”
McLaren isn’t that far forward
In keeping with Fred Vasseur, even McLaren — presently seen because the benchmark staff — isn’t out of attain. “Each staff goes by way of highs and lows,” he mentioned. “I’d say that when McLaren have a nasty weekend, they’re nonetheless preventing on the entrance, and once they get it proper, they’re virtually flying. However there’s no magic button in System 1. If you happen to begin a weekend with an enormous downside, you typically lose the precise course and should play it secure with the setup, which suggests you lose confidence and every thing that comes with it.”
Regardless of the noise surrounding his place, Frédéric Vasseur seems decided to remain centered on outcomes quite than rumors. His message was clear — Ferrari should stay united, sharpen execution, and belief the long-term course of that he has put in movement.
Oct 16, 2025
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