Ferrari chief now wants to copy McLaren ‘super boss’ decision that Fred Vasseur is unlikely to ‘accept’

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Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur won’t be satisfied at the halfway stage of the 2025 Formula 1 season.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are still waiting to secure their first Grand Prix victories of the campaign.

Hamilton deserves plenty of credit for earning Ferrari’s only win of the season in the Sprint Race in China.

However, ever since their double disqualification the following day, the Scuderia have only looked competitive in fits and starts.

This has meant that the microscope has been on Fred Vasseur and the step backwards his team have appeared to make in 2025.

Vasseur is under pressure at Ferrari, and chairman John Elkann might be putting plans in place for him to keep his job, but not quite with the same freedom that he enjoys currently.

READ MORE: Who is Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur? Everything you need to know

Ferrari chief John Elkann is planning Fred Vasseur’s ‘super boss’ role next season

A report from Corriere dello Sport has shared more details about Vasseur’s Ferrari future.

The 57-year-old Frenchman signed a three-year deal when he took on the role in preparation for the 2023 season.

As he enters the final months of that deal, he’s yet to sign an extension, with Elkann controlling the narrative around Vasseur’s future.

CEO Benedetto Vigna was speaking to Sky Italia about Vasseur’s future at Silverstone and said: “We are talking about the future, but it’s July, it’s early, we need time to decide.”

The report from CdS suggests that Vasseur has been ‘man-marked’ at the previous three races by serious Ferrari personnel, including Vigna.

Elkann has now reportedly decided that he wants to make this a permanent feature going forward, placing a ‘super boss’ above Vasseur in the Ferrari hierarchy.

This is something that several other teams on the grid already do very effectively.

Zak Brown has been extremely complimentary of Andrea Stella in a similar partnership, while Sauber have a similar set-up with Mattia Binotto and Jonathan Wheatley.

However, Vasseur is said to be unlikely to ‘accept ties’ to a figure above him at Ferrari, as he previously asked Elkann and Vigna for freedom when he took the role.

Vasseur’s role is being ‘called into question’, but he still has the support of both Hamilton and Leclerc from within the team.

Changing team principals would also be very risky at this stage for Ferrari, with Vasseur vital to the plans put in place for the upcoming 2026 regulation changes.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Fred Vasseur admits Ferrari need to ‘study’ British Grand Prix struggles

Ferrari were outscored by McLaren and Sauber at the British Grand Prix, with Hamilton narrowly missing out on a first podium finish for the Scuderia on Sunday.

However, Leclerc said Hamilton’s performance was the biggest positive for Ferrari, given his difficulties towards the back of the grid.

The Monegasque driver got his strategy wrong and ended up outside the points after making contact with Carlos Sainz.

Vasseur spoke about the Grand Prix in his post-race interview and said: “That was a chaotic race for everyone from start to finish.

“The conditions were changing so frequently that it was difficult to be on the right tyre at the right moment. The many Safety Cars also meant it was very difficult to predict what would come next.

“At the end of the race, you always feel you could have done much better in terms of strategy.

“We will study this weekend’s data to see why we struggled where we did.

“Now, the most important thing is that we make a further step forward in performance at the next race in Spa, that we put everything together to ensure we have a perfect weekend from start to finish.”