John Elkann’s next step to save Ferrari amid Fred Vasseur’s uncertain future as 2025 F1 season written off

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Fred Vasseur cut a defiant figure at the 2025 F1 Canadian Grand Prix as the Ferrari team principal fought off reports in the Italian press that he could be sacked soon.

Speculation was rife heading into the Canadian GP last weekend that the pressure is building on Vasseur to save his skin after the Scuderia’s sorry year thus far. The Frenchman has been in charge since December 2022, but he is set to be out of contract at the end of this season.

Ferrari are now third in the F1 constructors’ standings behind Mercedes after George Russell won the Canadian GP from pole position and Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured the rookie’s first podium. It was also Russell’s fifth podium through the first 10 rounds of the 2025 F1 season.

Only Charles Leclerc has given Ferrari a Grand Prix podium so far this year with his P2 finish in the Monaco GP and P3 results in Saudi Arabia and Spain. The 27-year-old is also only fifth in the F1 drivers’ standings with 104 points, while teammate Lewis Hamilton sits sixth on 79.

Ferrari chairman John Elkann is set to clear the doubts around Fred Vasseur’s future

So, reports in the Italian press ran wild before the Canadian GP that Vasseur has three races to save his job at Ferrari. The season continues with the Austrian Grand Prix on June 27-29 and the British Grand Prix on July 4-6. But Vasseur also hit back at the reports in Montreal.

With reports also emerging that Ferrari are eyeing Red Bull chief Christian Horner to replace Vasseur, who may also make way for the boss of the Scuderia’s WEC team Antonello Coletta, the Frenchman branded the claims in Italy as ‘disrespectful’ and stated they ‘hurt the team’.

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

Now, Italian publication AutoRacer reports that Ferrari chairman John Elkann is ‘expected’ to make an ‘intervention’ to remove the fog around Vasseur’s uncertain future. Elkann is set to take action in some way as he wants Ferrari to focus on working on the 2026 F1 regulations.

John Elkann’s clear objective is for Ferrari to ‘win by 2026’ with F1’s new regulations

Martin Brundle thinks Ferrari would be ‘nuts’ to sack Vasseur, as he believes the 57-year-old is not their main problem and that the Scuderia must focus on giving Hamilton and Leclerc a faster car. Ferrari already trail McLaren by 191 points in the 2025 F1 constructors’ standings.

But while Ferrari plan to introduce their upgraded rear suspension at the Austrian GP, it may be one of the last updates for the SF-25. Elkann has written off the current campaign as next year’s overhaul of the engine and chassis regulations is of far greater importance for them.

The 2026 F1 regulations have long been Elkann’s priority, with AutoRacer also reporting that he set the goal of ‘win by 2026’ in Maranello. It was also Elkann’s plan to make Ferrari more in his image that persuaded him to hire Vasseur, renew Leclerc’s contract and sign Hamilton.

But Vasseur is now on uncertain ground as the F1 paddock expects Ferrari’s 2026 engine will be worse than Mercedes and Audi’s power units. Audi will take over Sauber next year to join the F1 grid for the first time, but work on the team’s engine has been underway since 2022.