Ferrari's Vasseur Downplays 'Disaster' Label for 2025 F1 Season Amid Performance Woes
Ferrari's team principal, Frederic Vasseur, refutes claims of a "complete disaster" for the 2025 F1 season, despite the team's recent decline to fourth in the constructors' championship. While acknowledging tough weekends marked by performance issues, strategic errors, and driver frustrations, Vasseur argues that these events shouldn't define the entire season, emphasizing the team's relentless pursuit of improvement amidst ongoing challenges.
Ferrari's team principal, Frederic Vasseur, has pushed back against the notion that the 2025 Formula 1 season is a "complete disaster," despite the Scuderia losing significant ground to Mercedes and Red Bull in the constructors' championship. Recent races, marked by reliability issues, strategic missteps, and challenging car performance, have painted a grim picture, but Vasseur insists perceptions are skewed by recent events.
Why it matters:
Ferrari's standing as a top-tier F1 team is at stake. The team's inability to consistently challenge for wins and its slip in the constructors' championship raise questions about its competitiveness and strategic execution. Vasseur's comments highlight the pressure on the team to perform and the internal struggle to maintain morale and focus amidst public criticism and on-track disappointments.
The Details:
- Championship Slide: Ferrari, once P2 in the constructors' championship, has dropped to fourth, overtaken by Mercedes and Red Bull. This slide followed a double DNF in Brazil and a challenging Las Vegas Grand Prix.
- Driver Frustration: Drivers have voiced concerns, with Charles Leclerc stating the SF-25 is a car he "will not miss." Lewis Hamilton also faced a qualifying blunder in Las Vegas, starting last.
- Performance Issues: The SF-25 has proven to be capricious, difficult to set up, and particularly slow in wet conditions, a longstanding weakness Leclerc highlighted.
- Operational Missteps: Communication errors during qualifying (Hamilton's Q1 exit) and strategic misjudgments during the race (Leclerc being undercut by Oscar Piastri) have plagued the team. Vasseur acknowledged the difficulty in strategy calls, especially with limited data on tire life in Las Vegas due to disrupted practice sessions.
- Public Criticism: Ferrari chairman John Elkann publicly criticized both drivers after the Brazil double DNF, adding to the team's internal and external pressures.
The big picture:
Despite the recent struggles, Vasseur emphasizes that the season's overall performance shouldn't be overshadowed by a few tough weekends. He believes the team's DNA is to constantly strive for more, and this drive, while leading to harsh debriefs, is not a sign of turmoil but rather a fundamental characteristic of competitive F1 teams.
What's next:
With the season winding down, Ferrari needs to regain its footing and consolidate its position. While the 'disaster' label might be an overstatement, the 'sub-optimal' season, characterized by missed opportunities and no grand prix wins, demands a strong finish and a clear strategy for improvement in the upcoming seasons. The team will be under immense scrutiny to address its car's performance issues, refine its race strategies, and enhance operational efficiency to avoid a repeat of these challenges.