Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
It should come as no surprise to anyone that the pressure is quickly being ramped up at Ferrari for next season after a dismal 2025 campaign.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton regularly voiced their displeasure about the SF-25, as neither driver was able to claim a Grand Prix victory.
The Monegasque driver claimed all seven of Ferrari’s podiums in 2025, with Hamilton struggling to adapt in a car that never really suited his driving style.
Finish the sentence: In 2027, the Ferrari driver line-up will be…
Team principal Fred Vasseur had to face a lot of criticism that Ferrari received throughout the campaign.
Vasseur signed a new Ferrari contract in the summer, but his admission that the team switched their focus to the upcoming regulation changes as early as April has piled more pressure on next year’s car being a success.
Journalist Rebecca Clancy has now shared what people in the paddock are saying about Vasseur’s position and how he might have in 2026 to prove he’s the man who can lead Ferrari to their first championship win in 18 years.
READ MORE: Who is Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur? Everything you need to know
Fred Vasseur has until summer 2026 to save his team principal job at Ferrari
Clancy was speaking about the situation at Ferrari on the Inside the Piranha Club podcast.
She said: “I think that they will regret that they didn’t continue their development, and I think the comparison is with Red Bull. When Laurent Mekies came in, he continued the development of this year’s car because he wasn’t entirely convinced that what was happening back at the factory was translating to what was going on at the track.
“So, he wanted to check all of their systems, from the sims to the CAD drawings, to everything.
“So, a lot of what happened this year in the development of Red Bull since Mekies came in, having replaced Christian Horner, was to do with that.
Fred Vasseur will not be team principal at Ferrari by the end of the 2026 season – prove us wrong
Comment below
“Ferrari, there doesn’t seem to be anything happening back at Maranello that translates into what’s going on at the track.
“They went too early on the 2026 design; they seemed to completely give up on this season for reasons that no one really understood, least of all the drivers.
“They still don’t know if what happens at the factory does correlate onto the track. Yes, there is an enormous regulation change, engine and chassis change.
“It doesn’t feel like they’re in the right place to take advantage of it, and to come out of the blocks firing.
“I feel like next year could already be a very difficult year for them, and rumours in the paddock already that Fred Vasseur doesn’t have very long, perhaps until the summer.
“These F1 teams, they are tankers to turn around, it is not a quick process, and he’s not even started the turn.”
READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory
Fred Vasseur already taking steps to improve Ferrari’s fortunes in 2026
With Ferrari switching focus so early in the year, hopes will be high that they can be in contention to win both championships next season.
Vasseur has already started hiring engineers from Renault after they shut down their operations.
The Renault power unit was the weakest on the grid during the previous ruleset; however, there will be plenty of talented individuals that other teams will be keen to hire.
Lewis Hamilton’s steering wheel could also change in 2026 and shift more towards what he was used to at Mercedes.
Vasseur will be aware that the changes Ferrari made between 2024 and 2025 were too drastic, having narrowly missed out on the constructors’ championship before falling 435 points behind McLaren.
If he knows that Ferrari might already be considering candidates to replace him, then decisions made months ago to decide how revolutionary their 2026 car is going to be have likely already sealed his fate.
Testing is only a few weeks away, and all eyes will be on Hamilton and Leclerc once they take to the track.
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
