Fred Vasseur is today receiving strong praise for having put Ferrari back on track after a 2025 season deemed catastrophic: the Scuderia is now the main challenger.
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Arriving in early 2023 to replace Mattia Binotto, the Frenchman gradually restructured the team in a particularly complex environment.
His best performance until then remained 2024, with a second place in the championship behind a dominant McLaren team.
Taking a step back to make a better leap
But 2025 marked a clear setback : the SF-25 proved difficult to exploit, and the integration of Lewis Hamilton did not produce the expected results. As a result, Ferrari finished only fourth, behind Red Bull Racing, Mercedes and McLaren.
The start of the 2026 season, however, shows a much more convincing face. Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have already secured podiums, and the SF-26 appears significantly more competitive. A renewal welcomed by Jean Alesi, former Scuderia driver, who did not hesitate to call the previous season a “catastrophe”, while showing great enthusiasm today.
“I am very satisfied with the start of the season, because they arrived with a real Ferrari,” he declared, emphasizing that Vasseur is doing “an excellent job from day one.”
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He also insists on the unique difficulty of the role at Ferrari: a position where internal and external pressure is multiplied, and where team unity is essential but difficult to maintain. According to him, the massive criticism in 2025 had disrupted this balance, making Vasseur’s task even more complex.
Positive spiral
Now, the signs are more positive. Ferrari seems to have found a clear direction and a sound technical base, even if everything remains to be confirmed in the long term.
On the sporting front, the objective is clear: to return to the level of Mercedes, which dominates the start of this 2026 season. The gap still exists, but Ferrari is actively preparing its response. Initially planned for the summer, engine developments could finally be brought forward as early as the Barcelona Grand Prix to reduce the deficit more quickly.
In parallel, an aerodynamic and software package is expected as early as Miami, which could mark a first turning point in the season. If these improvements deliver on their promises and the gap narrows, Ferrari has two drivers, Leclerc and Hamilton, capable of transforming this progress into victories.
The dynamic is therefore underway, but the real test will be the team’s ability to maintain this level of performance and convert its potential into concrete results against particularly strong competition.
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