Fred Vasseur explains why Loic Serra hasn’t already built a title-winning car for Ferrari

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The clock is ticking on Ferrari to deliver Lewis Hamilton a title-winning car before he decides to retire from Formula 1.

The Briton now holds the record for the most races at the team without a podium finish (15) and sits sixth in the drivers’ championship this year.

For whatever reason, everything Hamilton has tried with the car has failed to bring him the same level of success that teammate Charles Leclerc has found.

It has added pressure to both Ferrari and their drivers’ workload, particularly over the upcoming winter. Fans expect them to be in contention heading into the 2026 F1 regulations.

‘Everyone’ at Ferrari is ‘convinced’ about Hamilton and believes they might be able to challenge McLaren at the Italian Grand Prix. It would be a heroic turnaround from a double DNF in Zandvoort.

However, after a double-waved yellow flag incident, Hamilton has a grid penalty for Monza, which might halt his progress on Sunday. It all depends on how they set the car up.

READ MORE: Max Verstappen may have just told Lewis Hamilton how to solve one ‘very difficult’ problem at Ferrari

Fred Vasseur explains why Loic Serra hasn’t already built a title-winning car for Ferrari

Ferrari can take one season-changing positive from their disastrous Dutch Grand Prix weekend, and team boss Fred Vasseur will be pleased by it.

When their car is revealed next January, all eyes are going to be on them as they prepare to end what will be an 18-year title drought.

With that being said, Vasseur has sent a reminder that the team’s Technical Director, Loic Serra, who joined from Mercedes, will release his first car in 2026, despite being with them for a while.

“You can take the example of Loic [Serra], for example, he joined the team eight months ago. We probably started the discussion two years ago,” he said.

“The first car of the Loic era will be the next one. It will mean that it was a three-year project, and I’m not sure that today and the F1 world in general, is keen to let three years to an organisation.

“If you have a look at some of our competitors, like Alpine, they change the team principal each year the last eight or nine years. If you have to wait three years to bring something, that if you change each year, it’s not the same timescale.”

READ MORE: Ferrari’s biggest problem with their 2025 F1 car is now an ‘open secret’ to everyone in the paddock

Why Lewis Hamilton faces an ‘uncomfortable conversation’ following Dutch Grand Prix crash

Hamilton crashing has always been a very rare sight in Formula 1. When he does, it’s usually because he’s really struggling.

He showed some signs of having a little confidence back and wasn’t too far behind Leclerc at Zandvoort before disaster struck and he found the wall.

Earlier on in the weekend, he also spun in practice, trying to find the limit of the SF-25. He’s exploring all avenues to find speed.

Hamilton faces an ‘uncomfortable conversation’ about his skillset if he continues to struggle in mixed conditions. It’s something he used to thrive in, but has failed to deliver with in 2025.