Ferrari reportedly decides Frederic Vasseur’s F1 future amid disappointing season

For a while, Frederic Vasseur's seat at Ferrari didn't seem entirely secure. But as Formula 1 packed up from Spa-Francorchamps, a new report by Motorsport suggests a contract extension is being negotiated.

For months, rumors swirled about the Italian team's interest in Red Bull's Christian Horner and Antonello Coletta, the revered Le Mans-winning WEC boss, as a natural successor. Vasseur's future looked blurry just as the Prancing Horse entered one of the most pivotal transitions of its modern era.

But, according to it.Motorsport, Ferrari has now chosen to continue their partnership with the French boss. Fred Vasseur is likely to continue as team principal in 2026, guiding the team into the sport's next technical era. While he is yet to sign, the decision has been made.

Ferrari logo on the SF-25 ahead of the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix. Source: Getty

Vasseur took over the reins in early 2023, when Ferrari's title challenge fell apart under Mattia Binotto. He steadied the ship, winning the only non-Red Bull Grand Prix win that year, in Singapore. He then closed out the 2024 season, 14 points behind the winners, McLaren, in the Constructors' standings. But the gains didn't show in 2025.

Their current campaign has been one of inconsistencies. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have both shown flashes of brilliance, but the results have been erratic. But Scuderia has effectively decided to shield its technical and managerial structure from further flux ahead of 2026.

According to a report from Motorsports, the Project 678, the codename for Prancing Horse's 2026 car, is the primary reason behind the management's renewed faith in Vasseur. The car will be the first fully made by the team he's built, under Technical Director Loic Serra, who has been at Maranello since October 2024.

Frederic Vasseur and Benedetto Vigna before Sprint Qualifying at Miami. Source: Getty

The Ferrari leadership has decided to protect the people they've invested in, with the 2026 regulations in mind. As per the Motorsport report, Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna had already hinted at this direction weeks ago. Speaking at Silverstone, he said:

"Fred is our team principal. It's July and we're having positive discussions. There's trust, and we've time."

The contract details and its duration are yet to be disclosed, but it's expected to be a multi-year commitment.

While the team is currently 268 points behind McLaren in the championship, the report also claims that this development is welcomed by the driver duo. Both Leclerc and Hamilton are known Vasseur loyalists and have often voiced their support for the Frenchman in public.

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Ferrari's Spa weekend hints at incremental gains amid shifting tides

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium. Source: Getty

Away from the contract talk, Spa offered a window into Ferrari's more immediate trajectory. It was far from a dominant weekend, but there were small signs that the team is beginning to gather itself in Belgium.

The SF-25 carried multiple upgrades to its suspension layout to improve aero and decrease degradation with an optimized wishbone structure. It was specifically designed for Spa's long straights, and those changes brought results.

Lewis Hamilton reported improved balance and comfort on Sunday and overtook 11 racers to finish P7, after starting from the pit lane in P18. He made an early call for Medium tires on lap 11 as the track dried. Leclerc followed a lap later. Both pit stops turned out to be crucial.

The undercut worked perfectly, as Charles Leclerc fended off a hard-charging Max Verstappen in the closing laps to secure third and Ferrari's fifth podium of the season and their 834th in Formula 1 history. Afterwards, Vasseur admitted the Sprint format and wet weather made data collection difficult. He said (via F1):

"It's never easy to introduce something on a Sprint weekend, but we didn't want to postpone to Budapest. It's true that with the format of the weekend, the fact that you don't long stint on Friday or you're doing a long stint of four laps, it's not easy to have references. But at the end I think it was the right call because it's also the best preparation for us for Hungary."

Ferrari leaves Spa sitting second in the Constructors' standings, ahead of Mercedes and Red Bull, though still far from McLaren. Leclerc now has as many podiums as Verstappen this season, and while Hamilton's results haven't consistently reflected his effort, the seven-time champion saw positives in the team's trajectory heading into Budapest.