Ferrari may still be in a state of shock regarding their performance during the 2025 Formula 1 season so far after taking a gamble over the winter.
It’s one that hasn’t paid off, with Charles Leclerc crawling across the 100-point mark after 10 races at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Not only is his total nearly half that of drivers’ championship leader Oscar Piastri, but teammate Lewis Hamilton is a further 25 points behind. Between them, they can’t match Piastri’s total.
Ultimately, the man responsible for their performance is Fred Vasseur. The longer their poor run of form continues, the more at risk he will be of losing his job ahead of the 2026 F1 regulations.
Vasseur disagrees with Hamilton and doesn’t believe that the Scuderia’s current problem is that they aren’t bringing enough updates to their car.
Fortunately, Hamilton is ‘biding his time’ at Ferrari and appears patient in the pursuit of more performance for now.
READ MORE: Ferrari will be devastated by Lewis Hamilton’s complaints during unheard radio messages at the Canadian Grand Prix
‘Everyone’ in the F1 paddock believes Fred Vasseur’s Ferrari future is safe
Hamilton did something ‘stunning’ in Canada and was really able to attack his braking zones in qualifying. It helped him to finish ahead of teammate Leclerc.
It was a different story on Sunday again, and the Monegasque driver edged back ahead. Neither car looked like even contending for a podium, as has been the case for the majority of the Formula 1 season.
Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Tom Clarkson revealed what he has been told, in particular by Italians within the paddock, about Vasseur’s future as boss of the Scuderia as their struggles continue.
“I’ve spoken to a lot of people up and down this paddock, Italians, about what this all means,” he said. “Everyone has agreed that Fred Vasseur is not about to lose his job. What this does show, is that the protective shield is now gone.
“As you say Davide, this would be a ridiculous time to replace any team principal in the pitlane, with everything that’s going on with these huge regulation changes that are coming for 26′. You never know with Ferrari, do you?”
READ MORE: Charles Leclerc will be alarmed by what he’s seen in Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari data at Canadian Grand Prix
Why it would be a bad time for Ferrari to replace Fred Vasseur as team principal
Martin Brundle thinks Ferrari would be ‘nuts’ if they were to follow through and opt for a new leader heading into a new set of regulations.
It’s a destabilising move at a time where keeping things constant is going to be crucial. The more changes there are, the higher the chance of holes appearing in their plans.
New leadership brings new ideas and a different way of operating. With the 2026 car just starting to be put together, a complete transformation could be a disaster for the Italian team.
It’s best to ride out the rest of the season and see how they start in 2026. If all isn’t well, then it would be reasonable to seek a reset.
Vasseur has stressed the importance of patience and it looks as though he will be given time. Pressure is starting to mount on his position, though.
