Ferrari breaks silence on Vasseur, Leclerc discloses secret – roundup
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc
Ferrari features prominently as we recap the latest F1 news headlines from Tuesday.
Ferrari has taken the surprise step of publicly responding to the swirling rumours over Fred Vasseur’s future. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc seemingly gave away too much information for the Scuderia’s liking after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. All of this and much more, so let’s get to it.
Ferrari speaks out on Fred Vasseur rumours
Over the Azerbaijan GP weekend, multiple sources told PlanetF1.com that Ferrari is eyeing a succession plan that would include a ‘stage-managed’ exit to ease Vasseur out of his role as team principal.
The suggestion is that the 58-year-old will be allowed to step back from the demanding role of Ferrari team principal to either take a different internal position, or split altogether.
However, Ferrari has publicly thrown its support behind the Frenchman, adamant that the team has “full confidence” in his continued leadership.
Read more – Ferrari takes unusual step to break silence on Fred Vasseur future
Charles Leclerc said too much…
It was a rather low-key Azerbaijan race weekend on the track for Ferrari.
Ahead of the race weekend, Leclerc received the good news that his ADUO2 upgraded engine was back in the pool, following checks after his heavy Monza crash.
Leclerc confirmed that he had the ADUO2 engine in the back of his SF-26 in Baku. It would seem that he was not supposed to say that.
The stare, and head trembles, which Leclerc received from his Ferrari colleague as he spoke to the media, told the story.
Read more – Did Leclerc accidentally disclose Ferrari secret in awkward Baku moment?
Fernando Alonso retiring from Formula 1
But not yet…
A cheeky Alonso video dropped on Aston Martin’s social media channels. At first, it seemed like the 45-year-old was gearing up to announce his retirement.
But, he would pivot to confirming that he has plenty of gas left in the tank, and will remain with Aston Martin as part of an unchanged F1 2027 driver line-up.
Read more – Fernando Alonso F1 future confirmed in new announcement
Red Bull launches Max Verstappen engine investigation
Verstappen’s Baku qualifying was plagued by a Red Bull internal combustion engine problem.
That set the grid penalty alarm bells ringing, but team principal Laurent Mekies says Verstappen is not certain to meet that fate.
An investigation is underway.
Read more – Red Bull launches Verstappen engine investigation as penalty uncertainty grows
Verstappen live reaction to Mercedes upgrade reveal
Verstappen came the closest yet to an F1 2026 race win in Baku, crossing the line within two-tenths of Mercedes’ George Russell.
The pair, joined by Isack Hadjar, would head for the post-race press conference. There, Russell dropped the bombshell that Mercedes upgrades were coming, with a step forward anticipated in Malaysia.
Verstappen heard that comment loud and clear. He fears that getting off the mark in F1 2026 could be about to become a whole lot harder.
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Read more – Max Verstappen live reaction as Russell reveals Mercedes upgrade plan
