Positive development for Lewis Hamilton as Fred Vasseur reveals Ferrari upgrade plan

Frederic Vasseur believed that Ferrari would introduce performance upgrades to their car, according to Lewis Hamilton's claim. Speaking exclusively to the Italian edition of the Motorsport Network, the Frenchman confirmed that upgrades were planned, though he did not specify a timeline.

With Ferrari underperforming in the 2025 season, pressure has mounted on Vasseur to turn things around. Hamilton suggested that the team would soon shift its focus to 2026 with less on 2025. The Briton also hoped for an upgrade by Austria, which Vasseur confirmed was in the process. The Maranello team principal suggested introducing upgrades profusely every weekend, but there was a need to strategize them instead.

The Ferrari team principal has also faced heavy scrutiny in the media. He stressed the need for calm and stability within the team environment, acknowledging that while tensions exist, there was no internal pressure. Vasseur admitted that the drivers and the team have made mistakes, but felt that much of the negativity surrounding Ferrari has been beyond his control.

Vasseur was asked when Hamilton mentioned upgrades would be introduced to the car, as he replied:

“Soon. We'll have updates soon. But I don't think that's the main problem. If you make the first record sector here, I don't think there's a need to bring so many updates. It's not like the others bring them to every weekend and it's not like we don't bring anything just because we don't declare them. We have to focus on ourselves, because we didn't do a clean job this weekend."

Asked if the Ferrari team atmosphere needed to be calm after being under attack, Vasseur said:

“I don't want to go back to what I said in the past few days. I don't think the climate around the team can help us. We are not under pressure but there is tension. When you are in such a close battle, all this is not good for the team, nor for the drivers. They make too many mistakes and so do we. There is a need for calm and tranquility, but it is not all in my hands.”

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Frederic Vasseur believes that Ferrari's strategy for Charles Leclerc at the Canadian GP was optimal

Frederic Vasseur believed that the two-stop race strategy for Charles Leclerc was the optimal choice, aligning with many others on the grid. However, he admitted that Ferrari had not accurately anticipated the durability of the medium tires. Reflecting on the weekend, Vasseur acknowledged that too many mistakes were made across the board.

Leclerc’s crash in FP1 after hitting the wall at Turn 3, followed by a compromised qualifying session, all contributed to the outcome of the race. Vasseur also pointed to Lewis Hamilton hitting a groundhog during the Grand Prix, which damaged the car and further compounded Ferrari’s struggles.

The Frenchman noted that Leclerc’s initial lap in Q3, aborted just before a mistake, had shown promise, particularly in the first sector. He maintained that their car had the pace, but both drivers were significantly hampered by traffic during the race. According to Vasseur, missing valuable running in FP2 ultimately had a knock-on effect, preventing them from securing a stronger result.

Asked if anything would have changed for Leclerc if he had done a one-stop instead of two, Vasseur said:

“I don't think so, honestly. If you look at the top 5, they all did 2 stops. Maybe the one-stop strategy could have worked, but we didn't know how long the Medium tyres would last. But that wasn't the most important point of this weekend. We made too many mistakes and had too many problems. We did FP1 with just one car, then the mistake in qualifying. Then the problem in the race for Lewis, it's too much for just one weekend."

Asked if, in short, that meant Leclerc had made too many mistakes, Vasseur said:

“Yesterday in qualifying we set the best first sector (by Leclerc before the mistake in Q3, ed.), and then we aborted the lap. The pace is not far. The problem comes when we don't put everything together. Because then we lose pace in the race if we are in traffic. We don't have to change everything. If we were to redo the weekend avoiding losing Free Practice 2 and without trying such long stints, maybe in the race we would have fewer problems.”

Charles Leclerc sits fifth in the Drivers’ championship with 104 points, while teammate Lewis Hamilton is sixth with 79. The Monegasque driver trails George Russell, who is fourth, by 32 points and is 51 points adrift of Max Verstappen in third.

In the Constructors’ Championship, Ferrari is in a tightly contested battle for second place with Mercedes and Red Bull. Mercedes leads that battle with 199 points, followed by Ferrari in third with 183 points, and Red Bull close behind in fourth with 163. Meanwhile, McLaren remains in a league of their own, leading the standings with 374 points, 175 clear of Mercedes and 191 ahead of Ferrari.