‘I never did it’ - Why Fred Vasseur continues to dismiss Ferrari F1 title talk

Ferrari Formula 1 team principal Fred Vasseur continues to refuse to be drawn into talk about the championship this season. 

Ferrari has consistently been Mercedes’ closest challengers so far this season and ended the Silver Arrows’ streak of consecutive victories thanks to Lewis Hamilton’s win in Barcelona. 

Charles Leclerc secured Ferrari’s second win of 2026 at the British Grand Prix as Hamilton came home third on a weekend the Italian outfit’s performance exceeded expectations amid fears of a large deficit to Mercedes heading to Silverstone. 

Despite this, and continued reliability woes for Mercedes, Vasseur is not interesting in talking about Ferrari’s championship chances given his team’s form fluctuations. 

Just two weeks after Hamilton’s dominant victory in Spain, the seven-time world champion struggled to fifth, while Leclerc was only able to take eighth after starting on the front row at the Austrian Grand Prix. 

"After Barcelona, I had the comment 'ah, Ferrari is back in the championship'. I said no. The week after you told me Ferrari is nowhere. I said no, we were on the front row,” Vasseur told media including Crash.net on Sunday at Silverstone.  

"I will have exactly the same approach with everybody at home. To say: 'guys, we had a good weekend. Now let's be focused on Spa. It's not that we are champions. We are not nowhere. We are improving step by step. It is like it is.

“I never try to draw a conclusion after one race, two races, a good result, a bad result. I'm just focused on doing more and to do better. It's true for me, it's true for everybody at the factory. 

“Then it's your job to speak about the championship, but I never did it.”

Hamilton’s recent resurgence, coupled with mechanical failures for Andrea Kimi Antonelli, has seen the 41-year-old Briton close to within 32 points of the championship leader, prompting suggestions Ferrari is in the title fight. 

But Vasseur was unmoved when pressed on the possibility of Hamilton being in the hunt for a record eighth world title by Crash.net.

“I think Mercedes, honestly, they still have a small advantage on pure performance," Vasseur said. "If you have a look at the six, seven sessions that we did this weekend, they are probably five times ahead. 

“It’s true that in the normal race it’s probably a bit easier for us because you have the start, you have the strategy. In the sprint it’s a bit more difficult. You don’t have strategy, it’s pure pace.

“Let’s see what we can do but we also have to be realistic. Overall this year Mercedes has a small advantage in terms of pure performance and it will be difficult, but let’s be focused on Belgium. 

"Next week will be another challenge in Spa. Firstly, the weather will be quite a bit different. But we have to start from scratch every single weekend. There is nothing magic. 

“We can't imagine making a step of five, six tenths in one weekend. It's just the addition of small gains everywhere that will make the difference."