Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has revealed that he knew he would “get s**t” during his time with the team as he strives to reverse its fortunes in Formula 1.
The Frenchman has not enjoyed the easiest of assignments by joining the Scuderia, with the team enduring the second-worst title drought in its history.
There have been signs of progress since his arrival in 2023, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz maintaining a stability with race wins without serious title challenge.
2024 saw a major milestone by finishing above Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship, narrowly missing out on to winners McLaren after the final race in Abu Dhabi.
But 2025 has been a nightmare for the Maranello-based squad, with neither Leclerc nor new team-mate Lewis Hamilton managing to take a Grand Prix win to date.
The pressure of being Ferrari boss always carries weight through its significance, something that was not lost on Vasseur when he took the job on.
“I’ve been in this business for 30 years,” Vasseur told The Athletic. “I knew perfectly that I will be exposed, I will get s**t.”
There have been signs of encouragement with McLaren recently suffering a dip in form, letting Ferrari and the likes of Mercedes and Red Bull back into the fight.
“We are all oscillating up and down, but I would say that even when they are down, they are still there,” Vasseur says of McLaren. “And when they are up, they are flying.”
‘Negative’ 2025 season has left Ferrari and Vasseur to focus on ‘getting results’
McLaren was always seen as the favourites to take both titles this year, with Ferrari being a close second, but things have not transpired that way.
The SF-25 has been a car that has not only not lived up to expectations, but has been fraught with anomalies that has emaciated all semblances of speed that it has.
In China, Hamilton’s Saturday win was the precursor for a difficult race which saw his car disqualified for excessive plank wear, diagnosing a long-term problem that rendered the car unable to be run on low ride-heights.
“If you have a big issue at the beginning, you lose a little bit [of] the path, you have to be on the safe side, and you are losing a little bit… the confidence and everything,” Vasseur reflected.
It has left the car unable to score anything higher than second, with Leclerc taking five podiums and a pole position in Hungary, whereas Hamilton has struggled even more, cutting a miserable figure across much of the campaign.
“At the end of the day, this is mega negative for us,” Vasseur admits of the team’s form. “I know that we have to work with pressure, and we have to deal with pressure.
“It’s the DNA of our sport. But I think you have enough pressure on track to not get pressure at home. We know that we need to deliver. We need to get results.”
Vasseur was then naturally at the centre of speculation that he would be ousted for the team’s poor form, and responded by launching an uncharacteristic but passionate rant in Canada, aimed at the Italian press.
However, Vasseur reveals he seldom listens or reads any of the negative press surrounding him or the team’s underwhelming form, including not even watching TV.
“And I feel pretty good about this,” he said.
And despite new speculation about Christian Horner perhaps taking the job, Vasseur did receive public backing from Leclerc and Hamilton, and then received a renewal.
“This is behind us,” Vasseur concluded. “Let’s be focused on the future.”
READ MORE – Why Lewis Hamilton thinks Ferrari is ‘more united than ever’ despite F1 2025 woes
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