Fred Vasseur just saw Lewis Hamilton emulate Michael Schumacher as he signs new Ferrari deal

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Fred Vasseur will remain the Ferrari team principal after signing a new contract. The Frenchman’s previous deal was due to expire at the end of the season.

But Ferrari have announced ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix that Vasseur has penned a multi-year extension. The exact length is unknown, but he will oversee the transition to a new ruleset this winter.

Vasseur joined Ferrari ahead of the 2023 season after Mattia Binotto was let go. He’s overseen six victories in 60 Grands Prix since.

However, this year has been a major disappointment for the Scuderia, who have less than half the points of runaway leaders McLaren as the summer break approaches. That raised doubts over Vasseur’s future.

Lewis Hamilton stood up for Fred Vasseur in Michael Schumacher-esque moment

A report from the Italian press in mid-June claimed that Vasseur had just three races to save his job. That suggested a decision would be made after the British GP.

Indeed, Ferrari hesitated over opening talks with Vasseur as his contract ticked down. While the team denied reports that his job was at risk, it was telling that no member of the top management came out to express public support.

Clearly, they gave at least some consideration to making a change after falling well short of expectations. But the intervention of their drivers may have been crucial.

Lewis Hamilton said Vasseur was ‘the main reason’ he’d joined Ferrari and made it clear that he was ‘the person to take us to the top’. Charles Leclerc also stood by the 57-year-old.

According to a report from F1-Insider, their support played an ‘important role’ in Ferrari’s eventual decision. Hamilton ‘clearly backed’ Vasseur at his most vulnerable moment, even as he expressed ‘dissatisfaction’ with the team’s performance.

Back in 1996, new Ferrari signing Michael Schumacher threatened to leave if Jean Todt was sacked. Hamilton wasn’t quite so emphatic, but both drivers achieved their goal of protecting the team principal.

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Schumacher’s instincts proved to be perfect. While he had to wait until 2000 to win the title, that launched a run of five on the bounce – the most dominant spell in F1 history.

Ferrari’s hope, according to F1-Insider, is that Vasseur will reward their ‘trust’ just as his compatriot did. The upcoming regulation changes could be decisive in that regard.

It’s significant that Ferrari have renewed Vasseur’s deal in the same month that Christian Horner became available. The ex-Red Bull boss has been linked with the Italian marquee in the past.

But there was little indication that Ferrari were entertaining a move for the free agent. Will Buxton suggested Hamilton would strongly oppose a move for Horner – at Vasseur’s expense – so it may have been seen as untenable.