Ferrari chairman John Elkann reflects on team’s ‘rough’ season and Fred Vasseur’s new contract

Ferrari Executive Chairman John Elkann has given his take on where the team currently stand after a “rough” first half of the campaign, as well as reflecting on the decision to hand Team Principal Fred Vasseur a new contract.

The Scuderia currently sit in second place of the Teams’ Championship ahead of Round 14 in Hungary. However, they are a whopping 268 points adrift of McLaren at the top and have faced several ups and downs across the opening races.

With this in mind, Elkann – who is in attendance at the Hungaroring – told F1.com’s Lawrence Barretto that he is hoping to see the squad end this part of the season on a positive note.

“It’s the last race of the first part of the season, so it’s a good moment to be here with the team,” said Elkann.

“It’s a good moment to reflect on what has been a hard start and, more importantly, just put the right foundations forward for the second part of the season, and really make sure that everyone goes energised to have a good break, which is needed, and really come back strong in the Netherlands.”

Asked to share his reflections on where things stand for Ferrari at the moment – in a year in which Charles Leclerc has continued to be a long-term member of the squad, Lewis Hamilton has been adapting, while Vasseur is finding his feet – Elkann explained: “We’ve had a rough season, and that is why it is really important to ensure that we end well and we start the second half very strong and full of energy.

“Ferrari wants to win, has won, will win, when it’s able to get everyone together. What’s important in Ferrari is not the individual, but it’s the individuals.

“Those individuals, when they work together, they can do incredible things. That has been very much the case in Formula 1.

“We all remember when we were victorious, and we were victorious because there was a very strong sense that incredible individuals – from our engineers, our mechanics, our pilots, our team principal – were really individuals that worked together.

“So it’s not about the individual, but it’s about the collective effort of great individuals who can achieve even more together.”

At the start of the weekend in Budapest, it was confirmed that Vasseur has been given a new multi-year contract, meaning that the Frenchman will continue to lead the squad after joining back in 2023.

Pushed on the reasons behind the move, Elkann responded: “We’ve really worked well with Fred, and when you work well, it’s important to continue working well.

“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.”