Funeral to delay Vasseur’s Silverstone return

The reason behind Frederic Vasseur’s abrupt departure from the Austrian Grand Prix paddock has been confirmed, following widespread speculation over his future at Ferrari.

Initially, Ferrari cited only “personal reasons” for Vasseur’s absence, further fuelling rumours that his three-year contract as team principal may not be renewed beyond 2025.

However, it has now emerged that Vasseur’s 76-year-old mother, Chantal Fontan, sadly passed away on race day. The Frenchman is therefore also expected to miss Thursday’s media duties at Silverstone, as the funeral will be held the same day in Sainte-Foy-les-Lyon, eastern France.

Meanwhile, at this weekend’s British Grand Prix, Ferrari is set to introduce a much-anticipated upgrade: a revised rear suspension layout, according to Eurosport Italia.

The upgrade follows the floor developments in Austria that propelled Charles Leclerc to a front-row start and a podium finish.

Lewis Hamilton, who finished P4 in Austria, believes Ferrari's progress is tangible. “I think we’ve made progress,” said the seven-time world champion. “The upgrade (in Austria) was quite small, we didn’t really know about it. They didn’t mention it much, but I think it was an improvement and that’s really positive.”

Ferrari currently sits second in the constructors' standings, but remains the only one of the top four teams - McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes included - without a race win so far in 2025.

La Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Paolo Filisetti believes the root of Ferrari’s current shortcomings dates back to last year, when technical leader Enrico Cardile abruptly departed to join Aston Martin.

“Cardile’s exit left Ferrari without a technical director,” Filisetti explained. “That role was temporarily filled by Frederic Vasseur, pending the arrival of Loic Serra from Mercedes.

“With hindsight, it’s clear that those six months without direction were key to the issues we’re now seeing with the 2025 car.”

Despite the uncertainty, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has come to Vasseur’s defence, urging Ferrari leadership to back their team boss.

“Fred is one of the best racing managers I know,” Wolff told Marca. “If I wasn’t here, I’d choose Fred.

“Give him space, let him act. Let him structure the organisation, which can’t be done in a day. Loic has been there for six or seven months, you have to let him get on with it.”