Ferrari Boss Slams F1 Media For Rumors That Delayed His Contract Extension

Newsweek

5 hours ago

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Scuderia Ferrari Formula One team principal Fred Vasseur has hit out at the media for allegedly spreading rumors that delayed his contract extension. Vasseur was also frustrated about the speculation surrounding his driver, Charles Leclerc, and the team's chassis technical director, Loïc Serra.
Ferrari has been experiencing several challenges this season, mostly pertaining to the team's SF-25 F1 car and Lewis Hamilton's struggles in adapting to the car. Vasseur's future with the team had not been confirmed until an announcement was made just before the summer break. The delay led to rumors that he might be asked to step down by Ferrari.
What added fuel to the speculation was Red Bull's ousting of its team principal, Christian Horner, after the British Grand Prix, leading to reports about Ferrari replacing Vasseur with Horner. Vasseur admitted that the rumors created "turmoil" within his team, especially since Italian fans "react more emotionally" to any news about Ferrari, a team they are extremely passionate about.
The rumor mill didn't spare Leclerc either, linking him to a potential switch to Mercedes, despite him revealing his commitment to Ferrari. Vasseur also opened up on how a rumor blamed Serra for the problems on the SF-25, even though he joined the team in October 2024.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur on the grid during the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 28, 2024 in Spa, Belgium.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur on the grid during the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 28, 2024 in Spa, Belgium.Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Vasseur called out the media for spreading the rumors and acknowledged the challenge in stopping them. He said:
"Rumors caused the turmoil. I didn't start them, the media did. Neither Ferrari nor I spoke. But today, you can't avoid such interference. I don't want to tar all journalists with the same brush. But with the internet, reporting has become much more aggressive.
"There's a pressure to generate clicks. When these rumors first surfaced in Canada, I was really angry. Because they went too far.
"My technical director, Loïc Serra, was accused of not doing a good job. And yet, the 2025 car was practically ready when Loïc started working for us.
"The story with Charles Leclerc was similar. Some people regularly wrote that Charles was going to Mercedes. Nobody cared that he repeatedly confirmed he had a long-term contract with Ferrari."
Vasseur then explained the impact such reporting has had on his team, highlighting that his contract extension would have happened much earlier without the rumors. He said:
"That has an impact on the team. In Italy, people react more emotionally. Without this background noise, my talks with Ferrari would have been much quicker."