Fred Vasseur is playing for big stakes ahead of 2026: the next three Grand Prix will be decisive
Scuderia Ferrari is at a turning point. Lacking results, disorganized and technically outdated, the Italian team must react before Silverstone. In their sights: the future of Fred Vasseur... and that of the 2026 project.
In Maranello, smiles are becoming strained. The enthusiasm sparked by the arrival of Lewis Hamilton for 2025 has quickly given way to a harsher reality: the SF-25 is well below expectations, the gap with McLaren and Red Bull is widening, and the 2026 horizon, which was supposed to represent a new start, still seems unclear.
Fred Vasseur, who arrived at the beginning of 2023, knows it: his future is at stake now. The next three races, Canada, Austria, Great Britain, will be decisive. Not so much for the current championship, dominated by McLaren, but to show that the Scuderia is capable of preparing for the future... with him at the helm.
The pressure is mounting for Fred Vasseur
In just over two years, the Frenchman has attempted to restructure a team plagued by its internal dysfunctions. But the results do not follow. Far from the podium in Montreal, penalized with a double disqualification in China, the 2025 Ferrari seems to have regressed compared to its predecessor. The arrival of the new technical director Loïc Serra has not yet produced any visible effects, and the departure of Enrico Cardile leaves a void.
Worse still, Adrian Newey's refusal, who preferred Aston Martin, remains a severe blow for Maranello. The star engineer could have embodied the renewal. He chose another project.
A failing communication
To this technical instability is added erratic communication. From one weekend to the next, the narratives change: total confidence one day, resignation the next. Hamilton no longer hides his frustration, Charles Leclerc seems lost, and Vasseur, smiling despite the obvious lag, struggles to convince.
Waiting can help, but only if the situation evolves. However, it stagnates. And doubts are growing.
Objective 2026... or exit strategy?
The year 2026 represents a unique opportunity: new regulations, new single-seaters, new hierarchies. But to enter in strength, Ferrari must first believe in its project. If the upcoming races show no signs of progress, management might choose a new leader to guide the Scuderia through this technical revolution.
Fred Vasseur's contract expires at the end of 2025. He has little time left to prove that he is the right man for the job. Because at Maranello, they won't wait until 2027 to become a winning team again.
