Fred Vasseur stunned by what he saw Ferrari fans do at their factory during ‘difficult’ 2025 season

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Fred Vasseur oversaw Ferrari’s first winless season since 2021 and the first of his time as their team principal during 2025, which he recognises was a “difficult” term for all.

The Frenchman took over the helm in Maranello in December 2022 and guided the Scuderia to second place in the 2024 F1 constructors’ standings, falling only 14 points shy of McLaren for the title. Ferrari fell to fourth in 2025 and finished the year 435 points adrift of McLaren.

Ferrari were even the only one of F1’s top four teams to fail to win a single Grand Prix during the 2025 season. McLaren won 14 races, Red Bull won eight and Mercedes won two as they got first, third and second in the standings on 833, 451 and 469 points against Ferrari’s 398.

Charles Leclerc reached the rostrum seven times through the 24 rounds in 2025, with a best finish of P2 in Monaco and Mexico City. But Lewis Hamilton failed to take a single podium in a season for the first time in his 19-year F1 career through his first season as a Ferrari driver.

Has Fred Vasseur had enough time to restore Ferrari’s title hopes?

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Fred Vasseur ‘can never say thank you enough’ to Ferrari’s fans after their support in 2025

Vasseur stopped Ferrari developing their 2025 car in April to prioritise their permitted wind tunnel hours on designing their car for the 2026 F1 regulations, which meant they failed to improve. McLaren stopped developing in July, but Red Bull continued to produce upgrades.

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

Draveil native Vasseur acknowledges that Ferrari’s “difficult” season was tough for everyone, including their fans. Vasseur is immensely grateful for the support the Tifosi showed Ferrari, and he can recall being stunned when he saw some fans waiting in the rain at their factory.

Vasseur told Sky Italy: “First of all, thank you so much. I’d like to say a special word for them. This season has been difficult. It was difficult for Lewis, for Charles, for the whole team [and] for myself, but also for the fans. And their support has always been enormous.

“One of these mornings it was raining and we had guys in front of the main entrance at 7:15 waiting to take a photo, and you can’t imagine the positive energy they give us. I can never say thank you enough. Thank you so much for your support.”

Fred Vasseur oversold Ferrari’s chances in 2025 and has put the Scuderia in a position where they must deliver in 2026

Vasseur was almost promising Ferrari’s fans the world at the start of 2025, as the Scuderia’s leader voiced his optimism in the team’s chances of fighting for titles this year. Yet he sold a dream that was much bigger than the pride of Italy could realise and he quickly lost faith in.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about the 2026 F1 engine and aero regulations

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McLaren’s vast improvements over the winter compared to Ferrari convinced Vasseur to put a pin in their 2025 project and focus on the 2026 regulations after the first few rounds. Their only major upgrade beyond April was a rear suspension update that failed to deliver results.

Ferrari continued to work on a rear suspension upgrade after scrapping their plans to design any aerodynamic updates in 2025. But the update introduced at Spa did not fix Ferrari’s ride height issues, which made them raise their set-up at the expense of their car’s performance.

Now, after overselling Ferrari’s title hopes in 2025, Vasseur has put the Scuderia in a position where they now must deliver in 2026. But it is said that Ferrari fear Mercedes have found a loophole in F1’s 2026 engine rules that could be worth up to three-tenths of a second a lap.