Some Ferrari staff have now ‘rejected’ another Lewis Hamilton ally amid Fred Vasseur’s uncertain future

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Lewis Hamilton met a few familiar faces when he joined Ferrari ahead of the 2025 F1 season, but his reunion with Fred Vasseur has so far not yet yielded a positive return.

Ferrari team principal Vasseur played a vital role in Hamilton deciding to quit Mercedes after 12 largely very successful seasons and move to Maranello. The Frenchman oversaw his GP2 Series title success in 2006 with ART Grand Prix, the junior series team Vasseur co-founded.

But Vasseur is now fighting for his job at Ferrari ahead of the 57-year-old’s contract expiring at the end of the 2025 F1 season. Scuderia chiefs are weighing up his position, as Ferrari are already 191 points behind constructors’ championship leaders McLaren after just 10 rounds.

Charles Leclerc and Hamilton are also only fifth and sixth in the F1 drivers’ championship on 104 and 79 points ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, trailing leader Oscar Piastri on 198. The Scuderia will field updates at the Red Bull Ring with Ferrari taking a floor upgrade to Austria.

Ferrari’s staff have ‘rejected’ Lewis Hamilton ally Loic Serra’s position as chassis technical director

With Ferrari also the only team among F1’s big four squads still yet to win a Grand Prix so far this season, ‘doubts’ are also growing in Maranello over the role of chassis technical director Loic Serra. Just like Hamilton, Serra left Mercedes for Ferrari and started work on October 1.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Serra left his role as performance director with Mercedes last April to join Ferrari, initially as their head of chassis performance engineering before adopting a directorial role after Enrico Cardile agreed to join Aston Martin. Serra had worked with Mercedes since the end of 2009.

But AutoRacer now reports that ‘doubts’ are growing over Serra’s position, as well as that of team principal Vasseur, as some of Ferrari’s staff have ‘rejected’ his role. Despite having little involvement in the base version of the SF-25, some are discussing if he is right for the team.

Serra joined Ferrari too late to make a real impact on their 2025 car, having only finished his gardening leave from Mercedes in October. But he has helped to change the SF-25, as Serra oversaw Ferrari’s rear suspension upgrade alongside his priority of the 2026 F1 regulations.

Ferrari’s rear suspension upgrade at the Austrian GP can help Loic Serra ease the doubts

Hamilton will now hope the rear suspension upgrade that Serra has overseen can make the SF-25 more predictable, especially in qualifying. The erratic nature of Ferrari’s car has been one of the 40-year-old’s biggest problems since he left Mercedes and moved to Maranello.

Ferrari’s rear suspension upgrade due at the Austrian GP could even help Serra to overcome the ‘doubts’ now emerging within the Scuderia’s ranks about his role. His CV featuring eight constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ titles with Mercedes has not bought Serra much time.

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

Serra oversees Ferrari’s technical group which features their heads of aerodynamics Diego Tondi, chassis project engineering Fabio Montecchi and vehicle performance Marco Adurno. But the SF-25 has not been the title-winning car that Ferrari started 2025 feeling it could be.

Ferrari regret failing to sign Adrian Newey, as well, given the disappointing results they have so far secured with Serra on board. The Scuderia threw their hat into the ring to sign Newey when he left Red Bull, but the Briton pulled out of a move to Maranello to join Aston Martin.