Fred Vasseur concedes Ferrari fell short in 2025. Focus now shifts to 2026 as McLaren leads the pack on performance.
Against all odds, and despite a very challenging free practice for Ferrari (8th fastest time for Lewis Hamilton in FP2 and, of course, Charles Leclerc’s crash in FP1), Fred Vasseur insists that the initial assessment of this Canadian weekend is encouraging for Maranello.
“At least we won’t do worse than last year, with a double retirement,” the Frenchman quipped when asked to discuss the sporting aspects following recent attacks regarding rumors in Italy.
“Charles had a decent pace before the crash, and so did Lewis.”
“We’ve made progress compared to the early races. We’ve climbed back to second in the Constructors’ standings, with solid pace over the past three or four weekends.”
“It was already the case early on, but more in terms of race pace than qualifying.”
“Now, we’re starting to put all the elements together for a good weekend.”
Fred Vasseur remains realistic, however. McLaren F1 is ahead of everyone, including Ferrari, on the whole this season.
“A long road still separates us from McLaren, as they retain a slight edge.”
“Our goal is to keep McLaren as the target and not look behind us. But we’re heading in the right direction.”
“The initial objective was to fight for the championship, and that goes for us, for McLaren, for Red Bull, and for Mercedes.”
“We all began the season with that mindset of wanting to fight for the title.”
Does Fred Vasseur admit, however, that the goals this year — namely, to challenge for the world title — have been completely missed?
“If we compare to expectations, McLaren is probably a step above everyone else.”
“On our side, just speaking for Ferrari, we didn’t do a good job in a few races, and we had the disqualification in China.”
“We were trailing Red Bull and Mercedes by 60 points at this stage of the season.”
“Overall, I believe our recovery has been decent, at least compared to Red Bull and Mercedes. Compared to McLaren, they still have the upper hand.”
“This means it’s up to us to continue trying to do a better job each day and to improve.”
“I feel that on several occasions this year, we’ve missed opportunities and haven’t reached the same level of performance as we did last year, let’s say.”
Fred Vasseur’s priority seems, curiously, to lie in operations. Is this a form of denial regarding the pace gap to McLaren F1?
“On that front, we clearly need to improve.”
“But the big lesson of 2024 is that if you want to win the championship, you can’t afford to leave points on the table.”
“Last year, we suffered a double retirement in Canada.”
“We’ve had retirements and issues, and that’s where we clearly need to get better.”
“The target remains first place. But I believe we’re making progress since the start of the season.”
Where does Fred Vasseur think Ferrari lost points this year? Operationally, things seem quite solid, with much-improved strategies and pit stops that are now a benchmark in the paddock.
“Yes. But a race isn’t just about a pit stop.”
“In the end, a good pit stop is part of the overall picture; it’s not a condition for success, but it can be part of the problem.”
“Honestly, if we compare to the start of the 2023–24 period, we’ve made a good step forward in terms of operations — strategy, pit stops, even reliability.”
“But we’re still behind McLaren.”
Ferrari was also hampered in Barcelona by a mysterious issue. Lewis Hamilton was instructed not to reveal it. And Fred Vasseur won’t say more.
“When I tell you in the post-race press conference that I won’t reveal anything, don’t come back ten minutes later to try and find out.”
“And don’t come back on the Friday two weeks later to try and figure it out.”
“I won’t disclose what happened. That’s just how it is. Full stop.”
So he really can’t say anything?
“Oh yes, we put the front wheel on the rear (laughs).”
Ferrari: media distractions could also disrupt 2026
Now that the 2025 title already seems out of reach, Ferrari’s hopes shift to 2026. That season will be crucial for Fred Vasseur, whose future is increasingly under scrutiny by the Italian press.
So where does Ferrari stand in preparing for next year?
“In the end, the goal isn’t just to do a good job. The goal is to do a better job than the others.”
“And it’s the same for 2026. When you ask us, ‘Where are you at?’, we’re improving, but the goal is to improve faster than the others.”
“Overall, it’s a long process.”
Fred Vasseur takes the opportunity to criticize the Italian press, suggesting that rumors about his dismissal are also disrupting next year’s preparations.
“That’s why every time you have some sort of distraction or internal issue, you lose a bit of focus during the season. And our job is to get it back.”
“I feel that teams in the UK are sometimes a bit more self-contained and a bit more focused on what they’re doing.”
“The best example for me is McLaren. In 2022–2023, they had a very difficult season.”
“They were at the back of the grid, but they stayed focused. They worked on their own and improved step by step. And that’s what I think every team wants to do.”
“This means we’re trying to set everything up, we’re pushing, and the most important thing is to be able to focus on your own work.”
“That’s where we sometimes struggle a bit.”
Isn’t it high time to abandon this year’s car and go all-in on the 2026 regulatory overhaul?
“Every team has the same issue on the table right now — deciding when to fully switch over to next year’s project.”
“One thing is certain: every day spent in the wind tunnel on next year’s project, we might be making ten times more progress than on the current car.”
“And that’s always a tough choice, but that’s life, and we knew it ahead of time.”
“Given the circumstances and the championship situation, we’ll make different choices.”
