How Vasseur spoke of the mood within Ferrari just days before contract renewal

The multi-year contract extension for Frederic Vasseur has just been confirmed, ensuring he will remain at the helm of Ferrari’s pit wall next season (and beyond) as team principal.

The Maranello outfit is coming off a rather disappointing season so far, having secured only five podiums—all with Charles Leclerc—and none for Lewis Hamilton, but most notably without a single victory, unlike McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes.

Despite this, Ferrari still holds second place in the Constructors’ Championship, having maximized opportunities to gain points over Red Bull—which effectively relies solely on Verstappen—and Mercedes, whose driver Kimi Antonelli is currently struggling.

But what’s the atmosphere like within the team? While the ambitions at the start of the season were certainly different, the positive growth curve in recent races still leaves Frederic Vasseur confident.

''The mood is good,'' the Frenchmang told GPBlog among other media after the race at Spa-Francorchamps, that saw Leclerc clinching his fifth podium of the season and Hamilton make his way through the field up to P7 after starting from the pitlane.

He then added: ''We reacted collectively very well today. Lewis did a great job. He was quite aggressive at the beginning in the extreme conditions. He was able to fight with Albon until the end with the downforce. I think it was a good recovery for him also to be efficient like this.''