Guenther Steiner comes out in support of Fred Vasseur getting an extension at Ferrari: "He's not a magician"

Fred Vasseur signed a multi-year contract extension with Ferrari ahead of the Hungarian GP weekend and received the support of Haas' ousted team boss Guenther Steiner. The 60-year-old shared how the Maranello-based squad needs to provide the Frenchman with time on the table to provide him the chance to turn around the team's fortunes in the near future.

The 57-year-old joined the Italian giant in 2023 after leading Alfa Romeo in the F1 paddock for a myriad of years. While the team was a title contender in 2022, the squad missed out on both titles after Red Bull upped its game in the second half of the season.

With Vasseur having to take on the team's operations from there, he tried to salvage the most out of his freshman year at the team as Ferrari secured the sole non-Red Bull victory. 2024 then saw the team battle it out for the constructors' title, as the fight went on till the season finale in Abu Dhabi, where it barely missed out on the championship to McLaren.

On the other hand, though many expected them to continue their momentum, the Woking-based squad has seemingly run away with the manufacturers' title, as it has already scored more than double the points of Ferrari heading into the summer break. This raised questions about Fred Vasseur's tenure at the team by the Italian media and brought a sense of uncertainty about his future at the team.

But the hierarchy at the Scuderia decided to extend the 53-year-old's stay, as Steiner revealed on the Red Flags podcast, on how Vasseur needs to be given a realistic time frame to bring back the squad to the top of F1:

"They want to be world champion, but only one can be world champion. But even in the moment they are second. What do you expect from Fred? He's not a magician, he needs time and I think they're doing pretty good except, a few problems with like everybody has got, and Lewis [Hamilton] is not performing. But if you think Lewis is not performing as it was expected, they [are] still second in the world championship in a very solid position." (41:56 onwards)

"So in the end, McLaren is just better this year. What can you do? I mean, it's a competition. So I think it's the right decision to keep him there."

The Italian giant sits second in the constructors' standings to McLaren heading into the summer break.

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Fred Vasseur claims the Ferrari supremo role to be the most exciting job in the F1 paddock

Fred Vasseur at the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix 2025 - Source: Getty

Ferrari has not tasted the victory champagne of winning an F1 championship since 2008. Moreover, with the title drought possibly continuing into the next season at the current pace, Fred Vasseur has the responsibility of reuniting the Maranello-based squad with the championship glory.

While clinching achievements are a daunting task in F1 itself, Vasseur reasoned that these feats are even more special if completed under the prancing horse flag, as he told Lawrence Barretto (via F1):

"My job is probably the most exciting position in the paddock. If you're able to win in F1, it is mega, but to win with Ferrari is something very exciting."

Ferrari has won 16 constructors' and 15 drivers' titles since 1950, a tally that the squad is looking to add to in the near future.