Guenther Steiner shoots down the possibility of replacing Fred Vasseur at Ferrari in a future role

Former Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner shut down the possibility of replacing Frederic Vasseur at Ferrari in the future. The Frenchman has been at the helm of the Italian team since the beginning of the 2023 season and has been successful in taking them to a P3 and a P2 finishes in the past two seasons, respectively.

However, expectations were high heading into the current season, given that the Maranello-based outfit had run McLaren close in the Constructors' Championship last year. But Ferrari have failed to challenge the British team and are yet to score a race win in a main Grand Prix this year and lags in P3.

In his interview with Inside Line F1, Steiner was asked about the prospect of replacing Vasseur, to which the former refused the possibility and remarked:

"I mean, it's always the circumstance. It's not like just to go and replace Fred, I wouldn't do it under the same circumstances because Fred is a friend. He's trying to do a good job, but it's very difficult. And if you know going in that if you're given the same set of cards as Fred, I don't think I can do better than Fred.

"It needs to be a new set of cards, how we play it, and then I would entertain it. But obviously, I cannot demand from Ferrari, and Ferrari may not even be looking for me. But anyway, no, that wouldn't be me."

The Prancing Horses extended Fred Vasseur's contract a couple of months back, as he signed a multi-year extension that would see him lead the team in the future.

Ex-F1 driver makes a startling claim regarding Ferrari team boss

Ex-F1 driver and pundit Derek Daly stated that he believed that Fred Vasseur could lose his job as team principal of the Italian team if Lewis Hamilton fails to succeed.

Speaking with RacingNews365, Daly reflected on Vasseur's decision to sign Hamilton at the start of the 2024 season in place of Carlos Sainz and said:

“The move by Hamilton to Ferrari could ultimately cost Fred Vasseur his job. Lewis Hamilton was one of the most gifted racing athletes the world has ever seen. But I think we've seen his best days. Physiologically, you just can't have instincts and reflexes at 40 years of age that 20-year-olds have.

“That's just a fact of life. It's human nature. I don't think Hamilton has access to those gifts at the level he had in the past. Ferrari made a marketing decision to bring Hamilton, a brilliant one, but not a competitive decision."

The seven-time F1 world champion will be with the Prancing Horses until the end of the 2026 season and could exercise his intention to extend for a further year.