Fred Vasseur now dealing with a ‘tricky’ situation at Ferrari that ‘hasn’t gone down’ well with key staff members

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur is facing pressure to deliver after a tough start to the 2025 Formula 1 season.

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton had to settle for fifth and sixth at the Canadian Grand Prix despite Lando Norris crashing out during the closing stages of the race.

Although Ferrari currently sit third in the constructors’ championship, only the failure of the driver in the second Red Bull seat has stopped them from slipping further down the standings.

Vasseur has admitted he’s constantly dealing with pressure at Ferrari but doesn’t feel as though his job is immediately at risk.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has been linked with Ferrari, although he’s quickly dismissed any suggestion that he would take Vasseur’s job.

The trouble for Vasseur is that success is expected of any team principal at Ferrari, which is why they’ve been through so many leaders since the days of Jean Todt and Michael Schumacher’s dominance.

Journalist Ben Hunt believes Vasseur is beginning to feel internal pressure from some people at Maranello.

It may come down to the fact that the team’s communication has been a problem throughout the campaign.

READ MORE: Who is Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur? Everything you need to know

Fred Vasseur not speaking Italian ‘hasn’t gone down’ well at Ferrari

It was put to Hunt on the James Allen on F1 Podcast that Vasseur’s position is now under review from those higher up the food chain at Ferrari, and he replied: “His position is under review.

“I think there are a number of tricky things. He doesn’t speak Italian; he is a Frenchman conversing in broken English to the team. And I think that that hasn’t gone down particularly well.

“The results haven’t improved. The people that he’s brought in haven’t necessarily gelled as well.

“And I mean that in the sense of drivers as well as [the] design team. And it’s very quick to lose some team members and then [take] that to get back to the press.

“We know how the Italian press works, it’s very similar to the British press in the sense that once they sniff blood and they can smell it, then they’re going to be going after him.

“His contract expires at the end of the year, and I think that his frustration is sort of lashing out at the Italian media during his press conference in Canada was quite revealing and shows a man under pressure.

“They’ve got two fairly unhappy drivers, and I think that’s permeating through the team and obviously getting back to the employees, which is then getting back to the media.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Lewis Hamilton has question marks over Ferrari’s approach at Maranello

One of the biggest questions many F1 fans had heading into the 2025 season was how Hamilton was going to adapt to joining Ferrari after a dozen seasons racing for Mercedes.

Hamilton knew there would be some adaptation required this year, but the car taking a backwards step compared to last season hasn’t helped matters.

Leclerc has been critical of Ferrari’s performance this year after looking like the most in-form driver on the grid at the end of last season.

The car doesn’t appear to work at its peak on fresh tyres, which makes qualifying a struggle, and in a season where the margins are so tight, that often sees both drivers having plenty of work to do during Sunday’s race.

Hamilton has questioned some of Ferrari’s methods at their factory since arriving, as he looks to improve their processes behind the scenes.

It’s now up to Vasseur to help Ferrari take a necessary step forward quickly and win over any doubters who exist within the team.