Charles Leclerc “completely aligned” with Lewis Hamilton on Fred Vasseur’s F1 future
Is Fred Vasseur still the right person to lead Ferrari? Charles Leclerc thinks so
Charles Leclerc has reiterated his backing of Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur, insisting the Frenchman is “the right person to bring Ferrari back to the top” amid ongoing rumours surrounding the team’s leadership.
Ferrari have endured a miserable 2025 F1 campaign and remain winless heading into this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix.
The team currently sit third in the constructors’ championship with just six podium finishes from 19 rounds.
The Maranello-based squad finished second in last year’s championship, only 14 points behind McLaren.
The arrival of Lewis Hamilton, combined with Ferrari’s strong 2024 campaign, meant expectations were high heading into this season.
However, the SF-25 has fallen well short, with the car showing no obvious strengths.
Leclerc and Hamilton have been held back by recurring brake-related issues, while plank wear has forced both drivers to manage their pace in races.
Ferrari’s poor form has led to continued speculation surrounding Vasseur’s future.
Even though Vasseur signed a contract extension earlier this year, Ferrari have been linked with a move for Christian Horner.
Ferrari chairman John Elkann issued a statement during the US GP weekend reaffirming his support for Vasseur.
Vasseur still retains the backing of both drivers.
“I think we are speaking from our hearts and what we think is right,” Leclerc told reporters in Mexico.
“I think it’s very important to say that all these rumours are unfounded, and in those cases, it’s not like we speak about those rumours together with Lewis.
“But we both are completely aligned and we both know Fred since many years and we both trust that Fred is the right person in order to bring Ferrari back to the top.
“For that we are very much aligned, so we didn’t have to speak about it.”
Ferrari rumours “blown out of proportion”
Leclerc believes that speculation surrounding Ferrari is always “blown out of proportion” and exaggerated.
“It’s the way it is. I’ve been with the team since 2019 now and I know that these kind of rumours are always being blown out of proportion,” Leclerc added.
“Is this something I enjoy? No, of course not. I don’t think anybody enjoys it in the team. We’d rather just focus on what’s most important for us, but it’s the way it is.
“I think Ferrari is very special because whenever we do something good it’s blown up out of proportion into something incredible.
“But that also is true for the opposite and that makes it more difficult I think to manage these ups and downs when you drive for a team like Ferrari.
“But it’s also what makes it special and we need to make sure that these kind of things don’t affect us.
“And I don’t think it did because, again, we’ve had a great weekend in Austin considering everything that was going on around the team.
“It’s not easy, but we’ve done a good job as a team to do that and we need to keep on doing that.”
In this article
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for Crash.net around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
With a sharp eye for F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiased reporting.
Alex joined the Crash.net team in August of 2024 having covered consumer and racing motorcycle news at Visordown for two years.
Joining Crash.net in 2021 as an Editor for the Indonesian Edition, Derry oversees most of the Indonesian articles on the site.
Rachit joined the Crash.net team in 2025 with a primary focus on F1 and sportscar racing.
He previously served as a news editor at Motorsport.com, where he played a key role in the day-to-day editorial operations.
