Ferrari defends Vasseur, but it could seal his fate

With a statement and a media call, Maria Conti, Ferrari’s head of communications, hoped to put an end to all the rumors. In short, her message was: “Fred Vasseur is and will remain the team principal of Ferrari’s Formula 1 team, and any stories claiming otherwise are nonsense.”

Has Conti really provided clarity with this? In sports, when such a message is delivered, the savvy observer knows: that coach—or in this case, team principal—will be out the door in no time.

Let’s go back to November 22, 2022. Mattia Binotto was under immense pressure at Ferrari, and the Italians decided to issue a statement: “Following speculation in some media regarding the position of the Scuderia’s team principal, Mattia Binotto, Ferrari states that these rumors are entirely without foundation.”

Seven days later, Binotto was gone as Ferrari’s team principal.

Although Conti—and notably not Ferrari chairman John Elkann or CEO Benedetto Vigna—spoke with great firmness, that doesn’t mean Vasseur can breathe a sigh of relief. The Frenchman has been around long enough to know how Formula 1 works: what is called the “truth” one day is completely outdated the next.

No one should be surprised if Vasseur steps down himself in the near future or is relieved of his duties. Anyone who sees the Frenchman walking around the paddock notices a tired-looking man; someone who realizes his time to get Ferrari back on a winning track is up. And if the outside world perceives that, then Conti’s words carry little weight.

Whether Christian Horner would take over if Vasseur departs seems highly unlikely. While there is speculation about it, GPblog understands that there has been no contact whatsoever between the ex-Red Bull team boss and Ferrari. Reportedly, the Brit is not even on the list of potential candidates.