Ferrari boss lashes out at Italian media for disrespectful claims about him and Charles Leclerc

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has lashed out at Italian media for disrespectful reporting about his and Charles Leclerc's future. The Frenchman's comments are a chain reaction of reporting about Vasseur's future, where it was reported in the Italian media that his future was uncertain and that he might be pushed out of the Italian team.

The rumors first surfaced ahead of the F1 Canadian GP when, in what seemed like coordinated reporting, multiple Italian publications released reports stating that Fred Vasseur's position was in danger as Ferrari senior management had lost interest in him. At the same time, it was also reported that Charles Leclerc was looking for a way out of his contract, as he was starting to lose faith in the project.

As soon as the reports became public, the Ferrari boss received public support from both drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Fred Vasseur himself lashed out at the media for the kind of reporting that had been done.

Talking to AMuS, Fred Vasseur revealed how angry he was and hence lashed out at the media. Calling the entire situation disrespectful, he said,

“When these rumours first surfaced in Canada, I was really angry, because they went too far. My technical director, Loïc Serra, was accused of not doing a good job."

He added,

"And yet, the 2025 car was practically ready when Loïc started working for us. The story with Charles Leclerc was similar. Some people regularly wrote that Charles was going to be Mercedes. Nobody cared that he repeatedly confirmed he had a long-term contract with Ferrari."

Rumors caused Turmoil as Ferrari

In the interview with AMuS, Fred Vasseur was questioned about the impact of the reporting, to which he said that the entire episode caused turmoil within the team, and it wasn't an ideal situation in any way. Pointing out how there's a pressure to generate clicks in the media, he said,

"Rumours caused the turmoil. I didn’t start them; the media did. Neither Ferrari nor I spoke. But today, you can’t avoid such interference. I don’t want to tar all journalists with the same brush, but with the internet, reporting has become much more aggressive. There’s a pressure to generate clicks.”

After all of the speculation around his future, Fred Vasseur was eventually confirmed by Ferrari as his contract extension was announced by the team. The Frenchman's future would continue to be on slippery ground, however, as the team's performance next season is going to be crucial.

If the power unit is not up to the mark, the team is looking at years of work to catch up to the competition. Vasseur might not be afforded that opportunity, especially considering the short-sighted nature of the board.