Martin Brundle: Fred Vasseur has ‘best and worst’ F1 job at Ferrari

Martin Brundle firmly believes that Ferrari made the right choice in giving team principal Fred Vasseur a new contract.

However, he does not envy the task which Vasseur will continue to take on. Brundle suggests that while it is the “best” job in Formula 1, it is the “worst” at the same time in the Ferrari pressure cooker.

Can Fred Vasseur lead Ferrari back to the F1 summit?

Ferrari had planned on an F1 2025 title challenge, having missed out on the Constructors’ crown to McLaren in Abu Dhabi last year. But, that ambition has not been realised. McLaren has grown into the dominant force, while Ferrari leads the battle to be crowned a distant runner-up.

That had triggered reports in the Italian media that Ferrari could look to replace Vasseur. Such talk was silenced when Ferrari announced ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix that Vasseur had penned a new multi-year deal.

With that announcement, Vasseur had re-committed to what Brundle views as the “best”, yet toughest gig F1 has to offer.

“The continuity is absolutely what they needed,” said the former F1 driver turned Sky F1 pundit.

“They don’t need another new broom coming in, sweeping clean, everybody keeping their heads down and working in silos and like, ‘Let’s wait and see what’s going on’, where they’re not confident.

“But it’s, at the same time, it’s the best job in Formula 1 and the worst job in Formula 1 to be the team boss of Ferrari.”

That idea of consistency being key was seconded by multi-time W Series champion, Williams-backed driver Jamie Chadwick.

However, she feels it will be “crunch time” for Ferrari under Vasseur’s leadership in F1 2026.

How F1 2026 is shaping up

👉 F1 2026 driver line-up: Who is already confirmed for the 2026 grid?

👉 F1 2026: Confirmed teams and power unit suppliers for F1’s huge regulation changes

At that point, major changes to the chassis and engine regulations will come into play, sparking the potential for a major shake-up in the pecking order.

The cars are due to become smaller and 30kg lighter, while active aerodynamics will be embraced, meaning the end of the road for the Drag Reduction System [DRS]. The Pirelli tyres will become 25 millimeters narrower at the front and 30mm at the rear.

The alterations do not end there, as new power units will be introduced. Those will feature a 50/50 split between electrical energy and an internal combustion engine running on fully-sustainable biofuels.

Energy management is expected to play an increasingly prominent role in the Formula 1 action under these new regulations.

“You never want to be looking over your shoulder, especially when you’re in a sport that can be up and down, and there’s always going to be highs and lows,” Chadwick said of Vasseur at Ferrari.

“And I think that’s one of the things we’ve seen at Ferrari. They have these highs and lows, and they need the consistency.

“So bringing that in personnel, I think is important, and let’s see what they can do now.

“I think next year is going to be a crunch time for them.”

Read next: Stubborn Ferrari engineers called out over Lewis Hamilton struggles