Fred Vasseur’s tenure as team principal of Ferrari was extended before the beginning of the summer break, in a multi-year deal which will see the Frenchman lead the team into the new era of F1 regulations.

Just as Vasseur played a big part in Lewis Hamilton’s decision to move to Ferrari for the 2025 season, Hamilton also had a part to play in the team’s decision to extend the team principal’s contract beyond the current season.

Despite Christian Horner being John Elkann’s old obsession and there being plenty of rumours linking the former Red Bull man to the role, the team opted to continue with Vasseur to provide stability amid a period of change in F1 that will come into effect next year.

However, the team have been backed to make a change of driver, with Oliver Bearman being the standout candidate to replace Hamilton if the seven-time world champion decides to call it quits after a tough first season at the Prancing Horse.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Ferrari may have been forced to extend Fred Vasseur’s contract due to the lack of interested candidates

According to F1 journalist Joe Saward in his latest edition of the Green Notebook, ‘no one else’ other than Vasseur wanted the job of team principal at the Scuderia, which forced Ferrari’s hand in extending his contract.

The journalist states that it is evident that leadership at Ferrari wasn’t keen on keeping the Frenchman at the helm through the ‘lack of support’ shown by the higher-ups ‘in recent months’.

Hamilton’s support for Vasseur was key in the renewal, but Saward also noticed something ‘interesting’ in the way Ferrari’s F1 rivals were also parading their support for Vasseur’s post to be extended.

He questions whether that had his best intentions at heart, or if they purposely called for Ferrari to keep him on in hopes of them continuing to struggle under his authority.

Following the announcement of the news, David Croft shared his doubts that Vasseur will bring success to Ferrari, citing what he had heard about the team’s plans for next year as his reason.

READ MORE: Who is Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur? Everything you need to know

Where have Ferrari gone wrong in the 2025 F1 season?

Ferrari have suffered from an issue with the SF-25 since the beginning of pre-season testing, with the stability of the rear axle being a tough cookie to crack for Charles Leclerc and Hamilton as the season has progressed.

The team have brought forward upgrades to fix the issue, but they don’t look like they’ve had the intended effect after the results that followed.

Position Constructors’ Standings PointsPts 1 559 2 260 3 236 4 194

Ferrari changed the dampers of Hamilton’s car to try and optimise the upgrade for him, but a poor showing in Belgium left engineers puzzled as to why the drivers are experiencing such poor handling with the car.

Despite sitting second in the constructors’ standings, Ferrari are rarely the second-best constructor on the grid. Mercedes is only 24 points behind, something that may change if the German constructor can bring forth more consistency out of Andrea Kimi Antonelli.