Fred Vasseur is feeling the heat more than ever at Ferrari, with pressure mounting after a winless 2025 season.
Poor design decisions and questionable race strategies hurt Ferrari last year, with Charles Leclerc responsible for all seven of their podium finishes. As 2026 approaches, both Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are making it clear that significant improvements are expected.
Delivering those changes falls to team principal Vasseur and his staff, especially with new regulations now in effect. And with his future at Ferrari reportedly under threat, there’s little room for error.
Reports earlier suggested Vasseur had just five races in 2026 to prove he deserved to keep his job. Ferrari’s decline in 2025, where they finished fourth in the standings, only added to the scrutiny.
Ferrari ‘mission’ to win title in 2026 already leaving Fred Vasseur’s future under pressure
Vasseur has hinted that he needs more time at Ferrari to get results, but he’s now entering his fourth season in charge and has managed just six wins so far.
The team’s step back in 2025 is exactly the kind of thing chairman John Elkann wouldn’t have wanted to see. Elkann had already spoken out about the drivers talking too much, with Leclerc and Hamilton publicly criticising the team throughout the season.
Vasseur will need to oversee the development of the SF-26 and provide his drivers with a car capable of challenging for titles. Ferrari hasn’t won a drivers’ championship since 2007 or a constructors’ title since 2008.
A report from La Gazzetta dello Sport claimed that Elkann brought Vasseur over from Sauber in 2023 with one clear goal: to win the championship.
After three years in charge, Vasseur now finds himself under pressure to deliver on those expectations in 2026. The title race will be make-or-break for him this year.
How Fred Vasseur’s Ferrari team is shaping up ahead of pre-season testing
Vasseur has told Hamilton and Leclerc that ‘everything’ is new for 2026, which should be good news for both drivers. They struggled with the unpredictable handling of the SF-25, but the SF-26 is expected to be a more stable car, which is exactly what they’ve been asking for.
There were some early worries before the first shakedown at Fiorano on Friday. Vasseur reportedly ‘went berserk’ when he heard that the 2026 car might not be ready in time for its January 23 launch, but in the end, everything went ahead as planned.
Both Hamilton and Leclerc took their first laps in the SF-26 at Fiorano, with fans watching from trackside to get an early look at Ferrari’s new machine.
The mood around Maranello seems optimistic heading into next week’s test in Barcelona. Ferrari are believed to have made gains with their updated engine package and sidepod design, but whether those improvements hold up by the time they reach Australia remains to be seen.
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