Ferrari Rejects Crisis Talk After Monza, Eyes Madrid
NXTbets Pro | Published On: September 11, 2026
Ferrari reset
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur moved quickly to calm the fallout from Monza. He held separate talks with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton after the Italian Grand Prix, then brought both drivers together to clear up their race-day clash. Vasseur said the conversation settled things. Monza had put Ferrari under scrutiny, with Leclerc crashing out early and Hamilton finishing sixth. The weekend fueled questions about the team’s handling, but Vasseur pushed back hard against the idea that the race exposed a deeper breakdown inside the organization. He framed the issue as a rough weekend, not a collapse. Ferrari, he said, still has clear principles for how its two drivers race, and he rejected the idea that one difficult Grand Prix showed a deeper crisis. The message from Vasseur was clear: Ferrari wanted to address the incident directly and move on without letting one race become something bigger than it was.
Ferrari drivers
Vasseur also drew a firm line on how Ferrari views Leclerc and Hamilton in the championship fight. He said the team still treats both drivers equally while they remain in contention, and he made clear that a hierarchy only becomes a real option once one of them falls out of the title race. That stance keeps Ferrari from turning one driver into a protected lead option too early, even as the pressure rises. It also fits the way Vasseur described the team’s overall principles. Ferrari has rules for how its drivers race each other, and those rules do not change because one weekend creates outside debate. The Monza flashpoint drew attention to that policy, especially after Hamilton said Ferrari had waited too long to prioritize his title bid. Vasseur repeated that Ferrari’s approach remains centered on both drivers as long as both can still chase the championship. He wants the championship picture to decide any pecking-order conversation, not outside pressure or a single contentious race at Monza.
Vasseur pressure
The broader spotlight around Monza did not stop with the drivers. Vasseur’s own future became part of the conversation after reports said his position was under pressure, with Italian newspapers including Corriere della Sera and Corriere dello Sport saying Ferrari leadership was watching closely. Vasseur did not buy into the drama. He said pressure and speculation come with running Ferrari and that his focus stays on improving the team, not on rumors about his job. He also said he has backing from Ferrari leadership and described communication with the presidency as constantly open. That support, he added, is visible at the track, with John Elkann, Benedetto Vigna and Piero Ferrari regularly present at race weekends, which he called a really good sign. Vasseur signed a new multi-year contract last July. He also defended Ferrari’s ADUO 2 engine upgrade after criticism grew around the program. Vasseur said lap-time gains can vary from circuit to circuit and can look worse at Monza than at other tracks. He called criticism of the upgrade disrespectful to the staff in Maranello, putting the emphasis back on the engineers rather than the public debate. Vasseur said Ferrari failed at Monza, but he expected a stronger showing in Madrid.
