Ferrari plummets and Italian media are 'crazy': 'Vasseur is to blame'

21:31, 19 Jun

Updated: 21:46, 19 Jun

byNorberto Mujica

Frederic Vasseur's tenure at Ferrari may well be at risk with the Austrian and British Grand Prix being of great importance to prolonging his stay at the Scuderia, according to former Ferrari man.

Durng The Race's podcast Roberto Boccafogli, former communications consultant at Ferrari highlighted the significance Ferrari bears for Italy, and saw this as the origins behind the national media's attitude shift in the respects of the team led by Vasseur.

'Vasseur doesn't feel it's his job to give explanations'

“The problem is that there is no answer. There is no answer because Fred is not used to explaining things, because he feels he doesn’t need to explain. It is not his job, it isn’t his duty. I mean, he doesn’t feel he’s in the position when somebody [asks, to] help to explain something, because there is a lot of requests about the real positions and the real answers and [they're] not being given."

“In the last month, there was something so controversial between his words and the drivers’ words, and the situation got very, very, very stiff, now very stiff. Then he got very nervous, because he got to the point on Friday [in Canada] to say, with this kind of press, 'Ferrari will never win.' And this makes everybody crazy.'"

Vasseur blames Italian media, but the fault lies elsewhere?

During the Canadian Grand Prix's team representatives' press conference the Frenchman was incensed at the rumours that had come out in the Italian media earlier in the week, that pointed to Lewis Hamilton not being listened to, Charles Leclerc eyeing the exit door and his own position within the team as principal at risk. When faced with the rumours, Vasseur then attacked the media, something Boccafogli disagrees with.

“I mean, so it is our problem? The problem is coming from the media? The media say, not me, because there are people on the paper saying [it's] the media responsible for the Ferrari crisis? Come on."

“Then in this big situation, everybody started asking, is the company still supporting Fred and this Scuderia and the team as they were supporting them, three, four, five months ago?"

The Scuderia is currently facing the backlash for their lack of sporting results.

'Elkann's revealing comment, Austria and Silverstone crucial for Vasseur's stay at Ferrari'

“Somebody said they are not and then the big weekend of Le Mans came in, because Ferrari incredibly won for a third year in a row, and yesterday somebody said Le Man showed what Ferrari is able to achieve in motorsport when the team is working together."

The telling comment was uttered by none other than Ferrari President John Elkann, "The defender, the official defender, of Fred Vasseur. He’s the man who wanted Fred Vasseur. So now the situation is just giving the feeling of giving the feeling of being very, very divided. There is not feeling of unity, working together, but some divisions."

“I really think that Austria and then especially Silverstone will play a major role in what can happen in future,” Boccafogli concluded.