Fred Vasseur ‘really angry’ as Ferrari boss makes feelings clear over ‘turmoil’
Fred Vasseur was appointed Ferrari team principal in December 2022
Fred Vasseur has admitted he was left “really angry” by rumours surrounding his future before signing a new contract with Ferrari.
Ferrari announced ahead of the recent Hungarian Grand Prix that Vasseur had agreed a new multi-year deal with the team, ending weeks of speculation over his position.
Fred Vasseur ‘really angry’ over Ferrari rumours
Reports in Italy over the Canadian Grand Prix weekend in June had claimed that Ferrari was seriously considering replacing Vasseur in light of the team’s winless start to the F1 2025 season.
The reports also raised doubts over the future of Charles Leclerc, who despite signing a multi-year extension in early 2024 was briefly linked with the likes of Mercedes and Aston Martin.
Antonello Coletta, the head of Ferrari’s World Endurance Championship operation, was named as a potential alternative to Vasseur for F1 2026.
As reported by PlanetF1.com, Ferrari also made an approach to Christian Horner earlier this season prior to his departure from Red Bull.
Fred Vasseur to remain in charge of Ferrari
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Vasseur has revealed that he was left annoyed by the speculation over his future as the reports went “too far” by raising doubts over Leclerc’s future and blaming technical boss Loic Serra, who started work at Maranello last October, for Ferrari’s disappointing season.
And he has claimed that the rumours delayed a resolution to his own future, arguing that his negotiations with Ferrari would have proceeded “much faster” without the “noise” in the background.
He told German publication Auto Motor und Sport: “Rumours caused the turmoil.
“I didn’t spread them, the media did. Neither Ferrari nor I said anything.
“But today, you can’t avoid this kind of distracting noise.
“I don’t want to tar all journalists with the same brush, but with the internet reporting has become much more aggressive. There is pressure to generate clicks.
“When these rumours first appeared in Canada, I was really angry because they went too far.
“My technical director Loic Serra was accused of not doing a good job, but the 2025 car was practically finished when Loic started working for us.
“The story with Charles Leclerc was similar. Some people regularly wrote that Charles was going to Mercedes.
“No one cared that he repeatedly confirmed he had a long-term contract with Ferrari.
“That has an impact on the team. In Italy, people tend to react more emotionally.
“Without all this noise, my talks with Ferrari would have gone much faster.”
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In a statement issued to PlanetF1.com after Vasseur’s extension was confirmed, Ferrari chief executive Benedetto Vigna described the deal as a recognition of what the team has achieved since the Frenchman’s appointment in December 2022.
Ferrari was the only team other than the dominant Red Bull outfit to win a race in Vasseur’s first season in charge in 2023, with Carlos Sainz triumphing in Singapore.
The Scuderia narrowly missed out on the Constructors’ title in 2024, falling just 14 points short of McLaren.
Mr Vigna said: “Today we want to recognise what has been built and commit to what still needs to be achieved.
“It reflects our trust in Fred’s leadership — a trust rooted in shared ambition, mutual expectations and clear responsibility.
“We move forward with determination and focus, united in our pursuit of the level of performance Ferrari has to aim for.”
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