Ferrari president John Elkann reaffirms confidence in Fred Vasseur despite setbacks

Fred Vasseur’s Ferrari has been compared to Mattia Binotto’s in F1. Yes, this has happened too, especially in the aftermath of the double disqualification in China, an incident that left a lasting impact on the mind of the French manager. The pressure on Ferrari is part of the game. That’s how it works in Italy and across the world when things go wrong. This is not just a local issue.

This is precisely why, after the embarrassing disqualification in Shanghai, seeing both SF-25 cars excluded from the final classification triggered an outcry that resonated far and wide. No Maranello supporter can accept such a situation, especially when it is worsened by statements like “it will happen again.” A clumsy attempt to reassure fans by appealing to the team’s desire to win.

A cheap excuse, because the hunger for success can be a positive thing, provided it does not lead to unpleasant situations. Looking back, it is genuinely difficult to find evidence to the contrary. Taking a slap in the face and justifying it this way is unacceptable, just as the criticism, fully deserved, for the unfortunate outcome in Shanghai must be accepted.

No offense to good old Mattia Binotto, who is often brought into the discussion. But at the end of the day, human nature tends to compare events, it’s quite normal. Blame it on associative thinking. The fact is, there are several similarities between the Frenchman’s excuses and those of Sauber’s current boss. And we are not talking about celestial mechanics. No complex mathematical problems are needed to reach this conclusion.

Frederic Vasseur could certainly have avoided the tiresome complaints about the media, which were based on irritation over fair criticism. It would likely have been much wiser to acknowledge the mistakes, take responsibility, promise maximum effort to prevent such situations from happening again, and, at the same time, prove on track that this setback was merely a bump in the road, something that, indeed, will not happen again.

Did Frederic Vasseur’s statements please the presidency? From what we know, not much. Why? Instead of calming the heated supporters, he actually fueled their anger. It would have been better to avoid this. Defending oneself is fine when there are valid reasons to do so. If not, one risks falling in the eyes of those who spend time, moment and hope for Ferrari every week, with the real risk of being compared to a recent, painful past.

That being said, Binotto is an excellent technician. Mattia has worked in F1 for several decades, and if he is currently the boss of Sauber rather than the Italian team, it is partly because of that justifying and repeated attitude, combined with results that never supported his theories. This might be the core of the issue. In the last week, there has been a lot of talk about the Frenchman.

Ferrari’s team principal is certainly not having a happy time, as the historic team he leads has completely failed to meet expectations. Beyond the opinions expressed so far, there are some facts to be added. Lately, much has been said about Frederic Vasseur, especially his apparent lack of presence at the Maranello headquarters. There is a reason for all of this.

According to the Italian media, we know that the reasons are not related to the supposed shaky seat, as, at least for the moment, the Frenchman enjoys full confidence from the top management. John Elkann continues to rely on Fred, especially considering the work plan for the coming months to regain competitiveness at the top of the category.

The entrepreneur born in New York has received several reassurances regarding the short-term future of the team, which is ready to take the necessary step to return to the fight at the top in the 2025 Formula 1 racing campaign. Ferrari is not giving up and continues to nurture dreams of world titles. The judgment of the team principal remains the same, although Gianni Agnelli’s grandson has advised a different approach to avoid controversy.

His absence from the sporting management, covered by “deputy team principal” Jérôme D’Ambrosio, is mainly due to back problems that require rest to resolve. Fred Vasseur remains firmly in charge of the Italian side, ready to lead Ferrari’s efforts for the Japanese Grand Prix, the first of an important triple header. A competitive scenario where the Maranello team wants to take the first step in the right direction and improve the overall performance of the team.

— see video above —

Apr 2, 2025Alex Marino

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