Brundle recalls Ferrari press clampdown as Vasseur shuts down exit rumours

Former Formula 1 driver Martin Brundle has discussed Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur’s strong response to reports from some of the Italian media that alluded to his impending exit. 

Vasseur, along with the team’s drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, has firmly shut down the reports. 

“It’s not about myself, this I can manage,” Vasseur commented in the press conference. “It’s more about the people in the team and throwing their name like this is disrespectful for them and for their family.”

After watching Vasseur’s discussion with Sky Sports, Brundle commented, “At Ferrari, you’re racing for a country when you race for that team. It’s almost a religion over there.

“And that’s what you have to put up with, and Fred knows that. He’s particularly animated there, isn’t he, and upset, and what he’s saying is it’s affecting people. You can’t just lob these stories out there. And I think they’re sticking together pretty well, and that’s all they can do.”

Brundle reminisced about Ross Brawn’s time at the Maranello outfit. 

“I remember Ross telling me that one of the first things he did when he got there – because they used to have the press cuttings on key desks every morning – was to stop that happening because it just scrambled people’s heads.”

He added, “You’ve got to get your blinkers on and do what you’re good at, and keep the team morale, keep the team focused where it needs to be. A combination of Leclerc and Hamilton and Fred is a tremendous trio. And I don’t think that’s the problem. The problem is making sure the car’s a little bit faster.”

Heading into the 2025 season, Ferrari was considered one of the championship contenders. However, McLaren’s impressive leap in performance has left the Woking outfit with a 197-point lead over Ferrari in the standings. That being said, Ferrari is still second and has celebrated three podium finishes with Leclerc so far this year. To add to this, Hamilton won the Chinese sprint race, so it’s not all doom and gloom for the Scuderia. 

“Remember Lewis at the end of Imola?” Brundle continued. “I mean, stunningly fast. Obviously, he won the sprint in China, but there are other circumstances around that. But I think it’s there – they just can’t find it consistently. And sometimes they can’t find the performance at all. But they’ve got to stick with it and just forget the noise.”