Three top managers back Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur with clear words about trust, time, and Italy’s emotional pressure
Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur has been on the ropes since the media reports surrounding the Formula 1 weekend in Canada, if not before. But during the Silverstone race weekend, several of his rivals came to his defense: Toto Wolff (Mercedes), Christian Horner (Red Bull), and Zak Brown (McLaren), three top Formula 1 executives have clearly come out in support of the Frenchman. The central message: if you want success, you have to give trust and time.
Toto Wolff, who has been at the helm of the Mercedes team for over a decade, has made an urgent appeal to the media and the public: Vasseur must be given time to establish his structures – and should not be questioned prematurely.
“In Formula 1, you can’t buy time,” said Wolff. “You have to give managers the opportunity to develop things. Jean Todt started at Ferrari in 1993 – and won his first title in 2000. Eight years! That’s how long it sometimes takes.“
Vasseur’s professional abilities are beyond question: ”He is one of the best racing managers I know. If I weren’t here, I would hire Fred,“ Wolff praises. He is particularly impressed by the Frenchman’s direct, apolitical manner: ”He doesn’t lie. He knows what he’s doing.”
At the same time, the Austrian points to the difficult pressure that weighs on the Ferrari team boss, especially in Italy: “You have to develop a thick skin. When you win, you’re Jesus Christ – and when you lose, you’re a loser. That’s Italy. This passion is great, but it can also be brutal.”
Horner: Success takes time, structure, and trust
Red Bull’s long-time team boss Christian Horner also knows the business inside out. His formula: stability = success. And that’s exactly what Ferrari needs to give Vasseur. “We had over 20 years of continuity—and that’s what made the successes possible,” said Horner. “Fred is very capable. He now needs to establish processes, people, and culture. That takes time.“
You can’t expect miracles overnight: ”There’s no magic formula in this business. Success comes when you get a group of people committed to a goal. And at Ferrari, there’s also the added pressure of national expectations.”
Brown: Ferrari was very close in 2024
McLaren CEO Zak Brown also stands behind Vasseur – in no uncertain terms: “I’m a Fred fan. I’ve known him for many years and I think he’s extremely sporting. He’s honest, technically strong, a real racer.”
He refuses to accept that Ferrari is allegedly stagnating under Vasseur’s leadership: “In 2024, they were just one overtaking maneuver away from the world championship title. They win races. It may not look like it from the outside, but I think he’s doing a very good job.”
The clear message from the competition: if you want to bring Ferrari back to the top, you can’t use every bad session as a reason for a change in leadership. Toto Wolff sums it up: “Let him do his thing. And trust him – because there’s no one better.”
