Elkann silence fuels doubts over Vasseur’s Ferrari future

Frederic Vasseur could be in real danger of losing his top job at Ferrari and the silence from above may be the clearest sign yet.

That’s the view of former Formula 1 team principal Franz Tost, who ran the Toro Rosso, AlphaTauri, and now Racing Bulls outfit for two decades before retiring recently.

Vasseur, now in his third year as Ferrari’s team boss, recently lashed out at Italian media reports claiming he could soon be replaced by Ferrari’s World Endurance Championship boss Antonello Coletta, but Tost believes a more telling sign is coming from inside the company.

“What really gives me pause is that John Elkann isn’t saying anything about it,” Tost told Sport1, referring to Ferrari’s chairman. “I can well imagine that Vasseur is under pressure,” he added. “Speculation never helps. But at Ferrari, you have to live with it all the time.”

According to a report in Autosprint, Vasseur has been given an ultimatum - improve on-track performance in 2025 or face the end of his contract without renewal. His current three-year deal began in 2023.

Ralf Schumacher, whose brother Michael led Ferrari’s golden era, has urged Maranello to show more patience.

“Fred is a good man,” Ralf told Sport1. “And he needs more time. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

“Jean Todt, too, was close to being fired at the beginning of his Ferrari career. Then my brother vehemently stood up for him and Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo listened. Fortunately. If he hadn’t, Formula 1 history would look different today.”

Statisticians have noted that the average tenure of a Ferrari team principal in the post-Todt era is just over three years, a timespan Ralf believes is insufficient to build long-term success.

Former F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone agrees: “Ferrari needed five years with Michael, McLaren needed five years with Hakkinen, and the same with Red Bull before Vettel won in 2010,” he said. “You should definitely allow a team leadership those five years.”

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton’s early remarks about Ferrari have also raised concerns. Former Ferrari engineer Luigi Mazzola told Sky Italia that the seven-time world champion’s comments after Canada - particularly about the team’s organisation and mentality - were alarming.

“I have the impression that a lack of trust in the entire project is causing unease among both the drivers and the engineers,” Mazzola said. “To be honest, I’m astounded. This mentality should have existed within the company long ago. And if it isn’t there, that’s extremely worrying.”