Ferrari avoided ‘really stupid’ error with new Fred Vasseur contract, claims Toto Wolff

Ferrari recently silenced speculation over the future of team principal Fred Vasseur by agreeing a new multi-year contract.

And it is a decision which was firmly backed by Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff, who warned it would have been “really stupid” had Ferrari followed any other path.

Toto Wolff fully behind new Fred Vasseur Ferrari contract

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Coming off their 2024 Constructors’ title battle with McLaren, Ferrari expected to push and challenge for the Drivers’ and Constructors’ crowns in F1 2025. However, McLaren has emerged as the dominant force, which led to speculation within the Italian media over Vasseur’s future.

But, the Scuderia silenced the rumours ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, confirming that Vasseur had penned a new multi-year deal.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, a friend of Vasseur’s, applauds the decision.

“Any other choice would have been really stupid,” he bluntly told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“I’ve known Fred since we were in our early twenties and I know how valuable he is as a motorsport man. I know his entrepreneurial vision and his strength.

“Having someone like him on your team is a stroke of luck, and you have to remember how long it takes in F1 to create a successful project.”

That nod to stability from Wolff is something which Ferrari chairman John Elkann firmly had in mind when it came to extending Vasseur’s tenure.

“We’ve really worked well with Fred, and when you work well, it’s important to continue working well,” said Elkann in an interview with the Formula 1 website.

“The reality is that from the basis of these years, we all want to build more, and we know that, in Formula 1, times are such that what you really need is engagement, trust, and make sure that the time is there with you.

“The natural evolution of the relationship with Fred, that has been a very strong relationship and one that you can feel, and it’s palpable in Ferrari, just the importance of how stability makes a big impact on results. That’s really what we all want.”

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The decision was also celebrated by Ferrari’s drivers.

“It was the right choice,” Lewis Hamilton declared as he spoke to the media, including PlanetF1.com.

“Fred signed me to here and I’ve been wanting to carry on.”

Team-mate Charles Leclerc added: “I’m really, really happy. It’s not that it’s coming as a surprise, but I’m really happy.

“Especially in the past month, there were quite a few rumours, like it’s always the case around the team. To finally have the official news out is important and I’m really happy.

“Fred has an incredible vision. 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.

“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 many more qualities. One of them is also to extract the maximum out of every single person at the factory and this, when you put everything together, it makes a big difference.

“I’m not the one making the decisions, but I think stability is always very important. Fred is the person we look up to and the person leading the team. To have him for many more years is definitely a good thing, also because in Formula 1 it takes time to build something, especially a successful team.

“I’m very happy about that. Knowing that I’ll be able to have Fred alongside me for more years makes me optimistic for the future.”

Ferrari holds the advantage in the F1 2025 Constructors’ Championship runner-up battle. Their advantage over Mercedes is 24 points with 10 rounds to come after the summer break.

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