Ferrari chairman reveals why Fred Vasseur was handed new contract

Ferrari chairman John Elkann has outlined the reasons for handing team principal Fred Vasseur a contract renewal.

Ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, where Crash.net are on the ground, Ferrari confirmed that Vasseur had been given a new multi-year deal to remain in his position as team principal.

The announcement put an end to wild speculation surrounding Vasseur’s future, after reports in Italian media surfaced claiming Ferrari were considering sacking the Frenchman.

Elkann explained Ferrari’s reasoning for sticking with Vasseur despite the team’s hugely challenging 2025 season.

“We’ve really worked well with Fred, and when you work well, it’s important to continue working well," Elkann told F1.com.

"The reality is that from the basis of these years, we all want to build more, and we know that, in Formula 1, times are such that what you really need is engagement, trust, and make sure that the time is there with you.

"The natural evolution of the relationship with Fred, that has been a very strong relationship and one that you can feel, and it’s palpable in Ferrari, just the importance of how stability makes a big impact on results. That’s really what we all want.”

Ferrari’s ‘rough season’

Ferrari have performed below expectations so far this season and are winless in the first 13 races. The Italian outfit sit second in the constructors’ championship, but are a huge 268 points behind McLaren.

Elkann acknowledged Ferrari are enduring a “rough season” but believes the team has the right people to turn things around and improve their fortunes.

“We’ve had a rough season, and that is why it is really important to ensure that we end well and we start the second half very strong and full of energy,” Elkann said.

“Ferrari wants to win, has won, will win, when it’s able to get everyone together. What’s important in Ferrari is not the individual, but it’s the individuals.

“Those individuals, when they work together, they can do incredible things. That has been very much the case in Formula 1.

“We all remember when we were victorious, and we were victorious because there was a very strong sense that incredible individuals – from our engineers, our mechanics, our pilots, our team principal – were really individuals that worked together.

“So it’s not about the individual, but it’s about the collective effort of great individuals who can achieve even more together.”