Damon Hill warns Fred Vasseur will “feel the heat” if Ferrari struggles continue
Is Frederic Vasseur fighting for his Ferrari future?
1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill has warned Frederic Vasseur that he will “feel the heat” if Ferrari’s miserable start to the season continues.
Ferrari have scored just one podium in the opening six races, leaving them a disappointing fourth in the 2025 F1 constructors’ standings.
Expectations were high for Ferrari going into the season after they finished second in the championship in 2024, just 14 points behind McLaren.
A decision to vastly change their design philosophy with the SF-25 has backfired, with Ferrari still working on solutions to turn their season around.
New signing Lewis Hamilton has struggled to get up to speed, only showing flashes of pace during sprint weekends.
After showing signs of progress under Vasseur’s leadership, Hill thinks the Frenchman will now start feeling the pressure.
“Yeah, they are and I think Fred’s going to feel the heat,” he said on the BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast.
“I think he’s going to feel the pressure now. He’s had a bit of a honeymoon period slotting in but now we’ve got a race like this where they appear to be very uncompetitive or not really competitive.”
Ferrari outclassed by Williams in Miami
The Miami Grand Prix was Ferrari's lowest point in the season, as they were outpaced by Williams on merit.
Alex Albon finished fifth in the grand prix, two places ahead of Charles Leclerc.
Ferrari were the fifth-fastest team in Miami, miles behind McLaren.
Hill added: “They shouldn’t be being beaten by Williams – no disrespect to what Williams has done.
“They’ve done a fantastic job – but they should be way up there. They should be fighting for the title.”
With the European run of races set to begin this weekend at Imola, teams will start introducing significant upgrades to their cars.
It will be an important triple-header for all of the teams looking ahead to the rest of the season.
With 2026 on the horizon, teams that aren’t able to bridge the gap to McLaren might turn their attention fully onto next year.
It will be an important three races for Ferrari.
With a sharp eye for F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiased reporting.
