No Charles Leclerc, no Fred Vasseur, no Lewis Hamilton: A humbling future awaits Ferrari

At the start of the 2025 F1 season, Ferrari had a super team of Fred Vasseur, Lewis Hamilton, and Charles Leclerc. After years of working toward winning the title and falling short, it did appear that the Italian marque had finally understood what it needed to do to win.

Lest we forget, since Kimi Raikkonen's title triumph in 2007, Ferrari has had as many as 6 years where it could have won the title but failed to. In 2008, it was with Felipe Massa. In 2010 and 2012, it was with Fernando Alonso. In 2017 and 2018, it was with Sebastian Vettel. Finally, in 2022, it was with Charles Leclerc. In each of these years, there was a sliver of hope that the team would finally get its act together, but it couldn't.

The team had the same hope at the start of the 2025 F1 season. 'My target is to win the title,' said Charles Leclerc. It was expected as well because the second half of 2024 was impressive. Ferrari scored the most points, and it did appear that Lewis Hamilton was heading to the right team at the right time.

9 races into the season, and it appears that the dream team is already dead. Lewis Hamilton has looked completely out of sorts at Ferrari. There's an element of adaptation for sure, but even then, it's not been a comfortable ride for him. To complicate things further, Ferrari is already looking at options beyond Fred Vasseur.

There's often this quote that rings true with Ferrari, and it states, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results." That is exactly what Ferrari appears to be doing right now, and the result might be worse than what they expected.

There is a serious concern that Ferrari is looking at a future without Charles Leclerc, Fred Vasseur, and Lewis Hamilton. At the same time, it is very close to becoming one of the more undesirable seats in the sport.

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Fred Vasseur

It is safe to say that Fred Vasseur's departure, if it is triggered, would be triggered by Ferrari and not the Frenchman. On his part, Vasseur is in his 3rd season with the team. He began his journey after Mattia Binotto was booted out. In his first season with the team, the Italian squad finished 3rd in the championship.

In his second season with Ferrari, the team came a close second to McLaren in the championship. 2025 is his third year, and ideally, Fred Vasseur should be spearheading a title campaign with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Unfortunately, that has not happened.

The team took a call to completely revamp its 2025 challenger, and 9 races into the season, it's clear that it hasn't worked whatsoever. The current challenger is, it's safe to say, not fighting for the title this season.

But is it the right call to fire someone after their first misstep? What kind of team environment are you building if the first mistake is your last? These are the questions that only the Ferrari board, headed by their chairman, John Elkann, and CEO Benedetto Vigna, can answer.

It's safe to say that even if Fred Vasseur survives the season, he's not surviving 2026 primarily because the team already appears to be on the back foot with its PU preparations. Alongside Red Bull, Ferrari was the other team that backed the FIA's call to delay the change of regulations in 2026.

Hence, even if Vasseur survives the current scare, he's not surviving 2026, where the Italian team might be on the back foot once again. Sooner or later, the first domino in Fred Vasseur is going to fall.

Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc joined the team in 2019. Since then, he has been the team's only shining light. There's an argument to be made that the driver should have left the team much earlier when he had the opportunity. Whether it was the loyalty to the Italian brand or the lure of Ferrari, something kept him grounded as he continued to be a part of the team.

Leclerc reportedly signed a contract until 2029 in a recent announcement, but it is safe to say that he's got plenty of exit clauses that depend on the team's performance. The first would be in 2026, and if 2025 is any indication, Leclerc's patience is wearing thin. What would be hurting him already is the fact that it's a matter of time before both Norris and Piastri jump him in the number of race wins.

To add to this, Charles is not a youngster anymore, as there is an entirely new generation that is a decade younger that has made its way into F1. 2026 is going to be the final nail in the coffin, and if the trends are proven right, Leclerc will be on his way out of Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton

The final domino to fall is going to be Lewis Hamilton because the driver joined Ferrari with a singular aim: success. He's not there for the fat cheque. He's certainly not going to sit around as John Elkann and Benedetto Vigna press reboot on the entire operation.

Ideally, Lewis Hamilton should have known how Ferrari works. Three of his titles (2008, 2017, and 2018) came against this team, and the DNA has not changed. The driver would be 41 years of age next season, and if there is anyone who knows how a successful team is built, it's him.

Lewis Hamilton's current contract ends in 2026, and if he wants to continue racing, he wouldn't want to do it with Ferrari.

The uncertain future

The problem for Ferrari when Fred Vasseur, Lewis Hamilton, and Charles Leclerc leave the building is that the environment that the board would create is one of fear. "One strike and you're gone" is a poor look anyway, even though that has been the case with Maranello for a while now.

The bigger thumbs-down is arguably going to be the loss of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc's vote of no-confidence in the team. Primarily because this means that the future is uncertain.

Ferrari can replace Vasseur internally, but who is going to drive the cars? The team could promote Ollie Bearman as one of the drivers, but which top talent would be interested after such a vote of no confidence by both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton?

The team faces an uncertain future as we head to the new regulations, as the most successful and iconic brand struggles to win.