Ferrari F1: does the Italian press already want Frédéric Vasseur's head? That would be a mistake!

For several days now, a wind of skepticism has been blowing through the columns of the Italian press. "La Gazzetta dello Sport", "Corriere dello Sport", "Motorsport Italia"... all point to the same scenario: Frédéric Vasseur may not be reappointed to head Scuderia Ferrari at the end of the 2025 season. Formula 1. Is the Team Principal already in the hot seat? The next three Grands Prix - Canada, Austria and Great Britain - are said to be crucial for his future. And in the corridors of Maranello, one name is starting to come up: that of Antonello Coletta, current boss of the endurance program.

But should we be calling Frédéric Vasseur's work into question just yet? Here's our analysis.

A team undergoing restructuring, a Team Principal under pressure

Arriving in early 2023, Frédéric Vasseur inherited a Scuderia still rebuilding after the departure of Mattia Binotto. He had to deal with a still-fragile organization, a changing workforce, and a single-seater (the SF-23 and then the SF-24) whose performance was often at odds with its ambitions. Despite this, Ferrari finished 3rd in 2023, and is now 2nd in the 2024 championship. Results which, in most teams, would be considered solid.

But we're not just anywhere. We're talking about Ferrari. And in Maranello, second place is often seen as a humiliation.

Three races to convince?

According to some of the Italian media, Vasseur's future is at stake in the next three rounds. Not in the hope of another title, which McLaren has largely promised this season, but to demonstrate a reaction, a leap forward, a dynamic. For without significant progress, management could decide to turn the page at the end of the year, as his contract expires.

In fact, the timing would be ideal for a transition: 2026 will mark the introduction of all-new technical regulations, the arrival of the new Ferrari engine, and the start of a new era with Loïc Serra, the new Technical Director, recently appointed to replace Enrico Cardile.

Do we really have to change captains every time there's a storm?

Scuderia's recent history does not inspire optimism when it comes to managerial stability. Indeed, since the departure of Jean Todt in 2007, who took six long years to build the world champion team, Ferrari has had no fewer than five Team Principals in 17 years: Domenicali, Mattiacci, Arrivabene, Binotto and now Vasseur. All have failed to break the second-place curse.

Maurizio Arrivabene and Mattia Binotto each had four seasons at the helm. The former saw his team languish in 2nd place, as did the latter, with a dramatic 6th place finish in 2020 as a low point.

Further back in history, only Jean Todt, with 14 years at the helm of Ferrari, was able to turn the Scuderia into a steamroller. Before him, Marco Piccinini stayed for 11 years, with highs (titles in 1982 and 1983) and lows (10th in 1980). In short, patience has sometimes paid off at Maranello.

Vasseur's top picks: Hamilton, Serra... and the future

Frédéric Vasseur has not shied away from risky decisions. The replacement of Carlos Sainz by Lewis Hamilton from 2025, or more recently that of Enrico Cardile by Loïc Serra, show a willingness to build his project. Not content to simply manage what already exists, he has tried to lay the foundations for the future.

But that future is 2026. The new regulations. The new engine. A possible new hierarchy. And, why not, a Brawn GP-style surprise. Which is also why, in our view, it would be totally counterproductive to judge Frédéric Vasseur solely on the results of the current season... and the next.

Perfect communication

Frédéric Vasseur may be criticized for communicating in a more "corporate" way than when he started at Sauber, with ready-made phrases like "the car's potential has yet to be unlocked". Language that sometimes irritates the tifosi, who are fond of transparency and raw passion.

But in a team like Ferrari, mastering public speaking is as much an art as adjusting the rear wing. Vasseur plays a balancing act between the internal and the external. And that too deserves to be taken into account.

Giving time to time

In our opinion, it would be a mistake to fire Frédéric Vasseur at the end of the 2025 season. He deserves to stay until at least the end of the 2027 season, i.e. two full years under the new technical regulations. That's when his project can really be judged.

Ferrari is now on a trajectory which, despite the frustrations, remains much more stable than in 2020. The talent is there. The Leclerc-Hamilton duo is promising. The arrival of Serra in technical terms could prove decisive. But all this takes time.

To change Team Principal again now would be to start a cycle from scratch... all over again.