Vasseur exposes McLaren boon as Ferrari and Red Bull distracted by F1 rumours

In the midst of a season in which both Ferrari and Red Bull have been the subject of huge rumours, Fred Vasseur says McLaren’s “strength” has been staying out of it.

That’s something the Ferrari team principal wanted to avoid by confirming Lewis Hamilton early in 2024, only to get caught up in other speculation this season.

Ferrari and Red Bull were the subject of distracting F1 rumours

Last year, even before the first laps had been turned in the F1 2024 cars, Ferrari and Hamilton announced that the Briton would leave Mercedes at the end of the season to join Ferrari in a multi-year deal.

Hamilton, Ferrari confirmed, was to replace Carlos Sainz as Charles Leclerc’s new team-mate.

Both the announcement and the timing were unexpected, as it meant Hamilton had a drawn-out and long goodbye to Mercedes, contesting 24 race weekends with the knowledge that it would be the last time he raced at each track with the team he’d been with for 12 seasons.

Vasseur says the idea behind the early confirmation was to avoid being drawn into Formula 1’s ever-present rumour mill.

“That’s why I announced the signing of Lewis last year before the season,” he told Auto Motor und sport.

“If I had done that between Imola and Monte Carlo, many would have fallen into panic mode.

“So Carlos was in the picture from the beginning and was able to digest the situation before it all started. His focus was on his job.”

Alas, a year later Ferrari and Vasseur weren’t able to escape the rumour mill as reports in the Italian media claimed Vasseur’s job was on the line with Ferrari’s higher-ups unhappy that the team didn’t kick on from last season.

F1 team principals: Fred Vasseur joined Ferrari in 2023

👉 F1 team principals: How long has each team boss been in charge?

👉 How to become an F1 driver: Money, dedication, talent and more

It was also said that Leclerc was considering his future at the Italian stable as he faced yet another season outside the championship fight.

After some feisty denials by Vasseur and Leclerc, the latter adamant he wasn’t going anywhere, Ferrari announced that Vasseur too would not be leaving as he’d signed a new multi-year deal.

But while that was easily resolved, Vasseur wasn’t happy with how the rumours distracted Ferrari in much the same way the constant speculation about Red Bull star Max Verstappen would’ve impacted his team.

And all in all, it was a boon for McLaren who didn’t have to deal with the questions and headlines.

“This is not about me,” he said. “Things can contribute to the people in the team losing their focus.

“Look at Red Bull, what has happened there in the last few weeks. There were only rumours about Verstappen.

“And that is one of McLaren’s strengths. They have managed to stay out of all these stories and upheavals.”

McLaren is on course for the championship double this season, the Woking team 299 points ahead of Ferrari in the Constructors’ standings while Oscar Piastri leads Lando Norris by nine points in a two-driver race for the World title.

Vasseur blasted the Italian media when the rumours about his and Leclerc’s futures first emerge as he questioned why the media would want to upset Ferrari.

The 57-year-old was annoyed as the reports went “too far” by raising doubts over Leclerc’s future while also pointing the finger at new technical boss Loic Serra, who only started work at Ferrari last October, for the team’s disappointing season.

“I don’t know the target. I don’t understand the target. Perhaps it’s to give s*** to the team, but in this case I don’t see the point,” he said. “Perhaps it’s for them the only way to exist. This is probably more the reason. But it’s really hurting the team.

“At one stage it’s the lack of focus. And when you are fighting for the championship, every single detail makes the difference. And from the beginning of the weekend we are just speaking about this.

“And if it’s their target to put the team in this situation, they reach their goal. But I think it’s really… It’s not like this that we will be able to win a championship. And at least not with this kind of journalist around us.”

Read next: Ferrari told to ‘wake up’ as new Lewis Hamilton replacement option emerges