Ferrari rocked the Formula 1 world before the start of the 2024 season, reaching an agreement on a contract with seven-time Drivers’ Champion Lewis Hamilton to begin driving for the team in 2025.
But while Hamilton arrived in Maranello to much fanfare, the results have yet to follow. The living legend has yet to secure a grand prix podium this year, and aside from a win in the F1 Sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix and a podium in the F1 Sprint at the Miami Grand Prix, the results have not matched the hype. Ferrari is locked in a tight battle with Mercedes, Hamilton’s former team, for second in the Constructors’ Championship race, but they are miles behind first-place McLaren.
And last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix was a difficult result for the team. While Charles Leclerc started on pole, his pace in the later stages of the race faded as his SF-25 had suffered chassis damage, and he finished a frustrating fourth.
As for Hamilton, he qualified 12th and finished 12th, and sounded like a driver who could not wait for the Summer Shutdown to arrive.
In a video interview with the official F1 channel, Team Principal Frederic Vasseur addressed the team’s present, and future.
“I’m really convinced that it takes time,” said Vasseur. “It takes time, not just at Ferrari, but everywhere.
“If you look at any good story in F1 – when Christian [Horner] joined Red Bull or Jean [Todt] joined Ferrari before – all these good success stories took time before the first win. Also, because that resource system in the paddock, you need a couple of years to build up a team, to accrue people that you want to have with you. And then it also takes time to work together.”
Vasseur’s own tenure with the team came under pressure earlier this season, when reports in Italian media surfaced that his position was under threat at Ferrari. The team put those rumors to rest ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, as Vasseur put pen to paper on a new multi-year deal.
Vasseur called the move a “good step” for the “stability” of the team.
“It’s a good step,” he said. “We had a couple of discussions. There were some rumors in the press, the last couple of weeks. I think it’s not easy for the stability and mood of the team, but now it is behind us.
“It’s important, it’s a good step that we have to be ready for the last part of the season. That we are fighting for P2 in the championship with Mercedes and Red Bull and we want to win some races before the end.”
Winning races in 2025, and starting 2026 on the front foot, is the target for the team.
“We want to be very agile in Formula 1, but the reality is that we have a lot of inertia. We are pushing for this. We have a clear target, a clear goal. Everybody in the company is aligned in this project and pushing in the same direction. This is probably the best feeling, when you have a goal and everybody is convinced we can achieve it,” described the Ferrari boss.
“As usual in a season, you have pros and cons. You can see the glass half-empty or half-full.
“It’s true that in the championship, we are in front of Red Bull and we’re in front of Mercedes, but we are also a bit far away off McLaren. But I think, overall, we’re improving. Improving on the methodology, on the approach, on the process. Sometimes it’s not visible on track, day-by-day, but I think overall we’re making steps forward. It’s important for us to remain P2 [in the Constructors’ Championship] and to win more races until the end.”
However, the incoming regulation change gives Ferrari a chance to begin next year at the front of the grid.
“The 2026 project, it’s a huge challenge that we have to be all fully aligned together to manage it,” said Vasseur.
“It’s not a secret that Ferrari want to win again. We have the target and the goal is very, very clear. We will do everything to achieve it. We all want to win the championship. We’ve made a decent step forward everywhere, but now we need perhaps a bit more time to put everything together. The 2026 challenge is a good opportunity.
“We made a step, probably, in Spa. Now, we have to understand a bit more the new suspension and to be able to fine-tune it. But we are now fully focused on 2026. That means we need to get the best from what we have. I still want to win races this season, but the main part of the focus is on 2026.”
