Mercedes’ Toto Wolff warns Ferrari ‘won’t get better’ than Fred Vasseur

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says Ferrari need to give under-fire team principal Fred Vasseur time because “they won’t get anyone better”.

Huge anticipation and excitement surrounded Ferrari heading into the 2025 F1 season after the Italian outfit finished runner-up in last year’s constructors’ championship and signed Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes over the winter.

But Ferrari’s season has been both disappointing and underwhelming so far, with the team unable to compete for victories and seven-time world champion Hamilton struggling to get to grips with the SF-25.

Vasseur has faced criticism from Italian fans and media as a result and rumours have recently surfaced about Ferrari considering making a change. Such reports were slammed by Vasseur, while drivers Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have vehemently defended their team boss.

Now Mercedes counterpart Wolff has given a ringing endorsement of the Frenchman and urged the need for patience and stability at Ferrari.

"In Formula 1 you can't buy time, and you need to give senior leadership the time to get on top of things," Wolff told media including Crash.net at the Austrian Grand Prix, where Ferrari recorded their best result of the season in third and fourth. 

“Jean Todt, if I'm not wrong, joined the team [Ferrari] in 1993. They won the first championship in 2000. Eight years. That's how it goes. And it comes in cycles.

“Look at us. I'm not enjoying being in a phase that it's the third year in a row that we're not fighting for a championship. We're not useless. We have really good weekends. We're winning races. It's respectable at times.

“And when it's not good, nobody's questioning whether the top guy is doing a good job or not.

"Leave him the space. Let him do. Allow him to structure an organisation that isn't going to grip from day one. Loic is there six months or seven months. They need to just let them do.”

Wolff would hire Vasseur for Mercedes

Wolff went on to claim that he would hire Vasseur without hesitation if he needed a replacement for the team boss role at Mercedes.

"Fred is one of the best racing managers that I know. If I wasn't here, I would take Fred," Wolff added.

"So, I respect him a lot. He's a great personality. He's a straightforward guy. He doesn't do politics and lies, and he knows what he's talking about.

"He's perfectly aware that in Italy, he's like managing the football national team and you're going to have the scrutiny from the media.

"Maybe that's something you need to grow a little bit of a thick skin [for], because if he wins, he is Jesus Christ. And if you lose, you're a loser.

"That's how Italy is, and that's fantastic. That's the passion that's there and you've got to embrace that. And maybe that's something he needs to learn.

"But he should be given the confidence to run this team. They won't get anybody better."