MARANELLO — Ferrari have publicly backed Frederic Vasseur as their Formula 1 team principal amid speculation over his future, insisting confidence in the Frenchman remains unchanged. Vasseur, who has led the Scuderia since the start of 2023, retains the support of chairman John Elkann and chief executive officer Benedetto Vigna despite a challenging 2026 campaign. Ferrari sit second in the constructors' championship after 15 of 23 races, but trail leaders Mercedes by 160 points and face pressure from McLaren, 72 points behind in third, after an engine shortfall offset a chassis regarded as the best on the grid at the start of the season.
The backing was delivered by chief communication officer Maria Conti on a hastily convened media call, speaking on behalf of Elkann and Vigna. "Ferrari's position is clear," Conti said. "It will not change. I am officially saying - I don't have John here with me, but Ferrari has made its choice. There is confidence in Fred and his team. Nothing has changed." The official statement comes amid speculation fuelled by former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner saying he would be interested in joining Ferrari.
Vasseur addressed the noise after the race in Baku, where Ferrari had entered the season hoping widespread rule changes covering cars and engines would make them championship contenders. "We are not working in the perfect serenity," Vasseur said. "For me, first, but for everybody in the team, for the media, for 50% of the questions [to be] about this, it's a bit of a frustrating situation." He added: "We are fighting for P2 in the championship, and at the end of the day we are all speaking a lot about this, and even for the guys in the garage, to discuss about this, it's the best discussion that we can have. But it is what it is - it's not in my hands. Mr Horner is looking for a job - that everybody knows - everywhere." Lewis Hamilton, asked on Saturday after the race whether he was still confident Ferrari were heading in the right direction under Vasseur, replied: "Yes."
Vasseur signed what Ferrari described in July last year as "a multi-year contract for the coming Formula 1 seasons," without disclosing its length. He joined Ferrari at the start of 2023 after former team principal Mattia Binotto was removed following a bright start to the previous regulation set in 2022 that was followed by a slump marked by poor reliability and questionable operational decisions.