Ferrari F1: Frédéric Vasseur's new contract breaks a vicious cycle

Less than two months ago, a section of the Italian press was sowing doubt: Frédéric Vasseur would he be reappointed to head the Scuderia Ferrari ? Some were already looking to the Canadian, Austrian and British Grands Prix as decisive tests. Today, the mood in Maranello is very different: the Frenchman has just been reappointed to his post beyond 2025, with a multi-year contract. A powerful decision. Historic, even.

A rare stability at Maranello

According to several sources close to the team, the new contract will run until 2028, giving Vasseur six full seasons at Ferrari. A longevity record in the modern era: more than Binotto (4 years), Arrivabene (4 years) or as many as Domenicali (6 seasons from 2008 to 2013). Although he's still a long way from matching the reign of Jean Todt, who led Ferrari for 14 years between 1993 and 2007.

And like Todt in his day, Vasseur pleaded for stability, continuity and patience, words rare in the Ferrari vocabulary, but which have become central to the Scuderia's discourse.

"It's good that this situation is behind us and we can focus on what's next," said Vasseur. "In F1, stability is the basis of a winning team."

A Scuderia in transformation

Since his arrival in 2023, Frédéric Vasseur has continued to restructure the team. The replacement of Enrico Cardile by Loïc Serra, the arrival of Lewis Hamilton alongside Charles Leclerc in 2025, in-depth recruitment in the various technical departments... None of this is the result of chance. It's the implementation of a long-term project.

"It took us almost two years to put this new team together," he explains. "It takes three or four years to build something solid. There's no magic wand."

Currently second in the 2024 constructors' championship, ahead of Red Bull and Mercedes, Ferrari is showing a new-found solidity. Pit stops are quick and reliability is high, despite a difficult first half of the season in terms of pure performance.

The weight of the past... finally lifted?

Since 2007, no Team Principal had really been able to establish itself over the long term. Each project was aborted before reaching full maturity. Frédéric Vasseur seems to have broken this infernal cycle. He has won the confidence of his drivers, his engineers and, above all, his management.

"What's a bit strange in F1 is that it's sometimes difficult to keep people, but today I'm satisfied. We have stability with the drivers, Loïc Serra, and we're continuing to recruit."

He adds: "When you're building a team, it takes time. It was true for Jean Todt, for Christian Horner... It will be true for us too."

A winning bet for 2026?

By signing this new contract, Ferrari is giving Vasseur the keys to tackling the strategic turning point of 2026, with the introduction of the new engine, revised technical regulations and a potentially upturned F1 grid. That's when his work will really be judged.

"2026 will be a very important season, with a lot of changes. We all have to push in the same direction," insists Vasseur.

It's now clear that Ferrari no longer wants to rebuild every two or three years. It wants to build. And this time, it wants to do so with Vasseur at the helm.

Frédéric Vasseur's reappointment is a strong signal. Ferrari finally seems to understand that managerial stability is a sine qua non for success, as history has already proven with Jean Todt. All that remains now is to turn this promise into results... but this time, time no longer seems to be the Team Principal's enemy. It has become his ally.