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Reportedly, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner recommended Fred Vasseur to Ferrari for the role of General Manager and Team Principal in 2022. There have been rumors doing the rounds ahead of the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix that the Frenchman was in hot water with the Italian team's hierarchy, owing to their underwhelming start to the 2025 season.
There were massive expectations on the Prancing Horses after a strong end to last year, as they finished just a few points behind McLaren in the Constructors' championship. However, the drastic changes to the 2025 challenger and the subsequent underlying issues with the car have put pressure on Vasseur.
The Italian media has suggested that the upcoming races in the next months were crucial for Fred Vasseur's future in the team, given that his contract expires at the end of the 2025 season. The 57-year-old had joined Ferrari at the start of the 2023 season after he replaced Mattia Binotto in the role.
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As per The Race, Ferrari chairman John Elkann had approached Red Bull team principal Christian Horner in 2022 for the role, who in turn suggested the name of Vasseur, who was then the team principal and CEO of Alfa Romeo.
However, there has been no official confirmation from Fred Vasseur or Ferrari regarding a potential exit of the former at the end of the year.
Lewis Hamilton comments on reports of Fred Vasseur's exit
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton stated that he was unaware of the source behind the rumors of Fred Vasseur's role as team principal being in danger, owing to the poor start to the 2025 campaign.
Speaking in the pre-race press conference in Montreal, the seven-time F1 world champion reflected on the subject and said:
"I was just made aware of it before I got here, so I’ve not read the stories. It’s definitely not nice to hear that there are stories like that out there. Firstly, I love working with Fréd. Fréd’s the main reason I’m in this team, and I got the opportunity to be here, for which I’m forever grateful. We’re in this together.
"We’re working hard in the background. Things aren’t perfect. But as I said, I’m here to work with the team and with Fréd. I want Fréd here. I do believe Fréd is the person to take us to the top, and so that’s that. To me, it’s all nonsense what people have written. Most people don’t know what’s going on in the background," Hamilton said.
Under Fred Vasseur's leadership, Ferrari has finished P3 and P2 in the Constructors' championship in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, respectively, and sits in P2 behind McLaren in the 2025 season.
