Leclerc “really happy” with Vasseur’s multi-year contract, praises his “incredible vision”

Written by Meghana Sree

Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur’s fresh deal with Ferrari was met with approval from Charles Leclerc, who shared: “It’s not that it’s coming as a surprise, but I’m really happy.”

Fred Vasseur to continue as Ferrari Team Principal | Credit: Formula One

Ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Ferrari announced Team Principal Fred Vasseur will be continuing with the Italian outfit in his current role on a multi-year contract.

The official statement reads: “Under Fred [Vasseur’s] leadership, Ferrari is united, focused and committed to continuous improvement. 

“The trust placed in him reflects the team’s confidence in its strategic direction and reinforces a shared determination to deliver the results that Ferrari's fans, drivers and team members expect and deserve.”

The announcement comes no doubt to the relief of the Ferrari lineup, with both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton having been vocal of their support for Vasseur.

Furthermore, given both drivers’ longstanding relationship with Vasseur even before he joined Ferrari as Team Principal in 2023, Ferrari's vote of confidence in Vasseur’s vision has been happily welcomed by Leclerc and Hamilton.

Speaking ahead of the race weekend in Hungary, Leclerc reiterated his trust in Vasseur, stating: “I think Fred has an incredible vision. 

“I think what’s very difficult within Ferrari is the emotion is very much part of the daily job, because Italian people in general – and that’s what makes Ferrari so special – are extremely passionate about Ferrari.

“But Fred really knows how to leave his emotions aside and have a clear vision of where we are at, no matter how much noise there is around the team. This is very, very important.

“Apart from that, he’s got obviously many more qualities. One of them is also to extract the maximum out of every single person at the factory. This, when you put everything together, makes a big difference.”

Charles Leclerc expressed his support of Vasseur's leadership | Credit: Formula One

Over the little more than two years Vasseur has been part of Ferrari, he has led the team to a victory in 2023, the only non-Red Bull team to win a Grand Prix that year, and a second-place finish in the Constructors’ Championship last year, just 14 points behind McLaren.

Praising Vasseur’s role in shaping up the team to challenge McLaren last year, Leclerc added: “I think where Fred made the biggest difference is his vision, his overall vision. This he definitely embedded into the team and that’s very, very important.

“As I said, I feel like the beauty of Ferrari is the fact that emotionally speaking it’s always quite intense, but it can also harm us in some ways, especially when tougher times arrive.

“Fred has always had very cold blood in those moments and helped the team to just be a little bit more lucid. That’s probably the biggest thing that Fred brought to the team.”

While in 2025 Ferrari is a long way off from rivalling McLaren for both titles, they remain the best of the rest so far despite some turbulent weekends.

Second in the Constructors’ owing to the consistency of Leclerc and Hamilton, the Italian team are 28 points ahead of Mercedes. 

The experienced pairing is clearly boosting their points tally, evidenced by Leclerc’s fifth podium of the year and Hamilton’s masterful charge from the pit lane to seventh last week at Spa. 

Hamilton’s groundbreaking move to Ferrari was chiefly orchestrated by Vasseur, and though the Briton is still finding his feet within the team, the confirmation of Vasseur’s role will lay a stable foundation for his upcoming years at Ferrari.