"If we don't have it, we're dead": Fred Vasseur warns Ferrari ahead of 2025 F1 season
02/17/2025 02:17 AM
Having fought for the constructors’ title until the final race of the 2024 Formula 1 campaign, the Prancing Horse must continue riding the wave of enthusiasm generated by its strong finish last season and the arrival of Lewis Hamilton in Maranello. Ferrari's goal must be the F1 world title, but to achieve it, the right mindset is essential throughout the 24 rounds of 2025, according to Fred Vasseur.
The upcoming championship will require the Scuderia to take a step forward to beat reigning champion Max Verstappen on one side and McLaren on the other. One of the most glaring weaknesses of the SF-24 has been tire management, a flaw that too often—especially in qualifying—has prevented Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz from securing better grid positions.
Fred Vasseur fires up and warns the team: “We must have that mindset”
Certainly, the team in Maranello has been working in this direction, although Fred Vasseur is unwilling to provide a specific list of key areas. “I think it would be a mistake to believe that we need to improve just one single element.” According to the French team principal, the key to a winning Ferrari will be the organic growth of the entire team: “To do a good job, we must focus on every aspect of performance, every area, and reliability. We need to improve everywhere.”
No set agenda for the former Alfa Romeo Sauber boss: “I don't want to make lists,” he explained to the media – “I don't want to point fingers at anyone or put pressure on a specific area. I believe that every working group, every department, must simply aim to do a better job every day. This is not a criticism of anyone. It's the mindset the team must have every morning: to do better than the day before.”
For Frédéric Vasseur, this approach is the only way forward, so much so that he considers it vital for Ferrari’s hopes. “We must always strive to improve, hundredth by hundredth of a second. This is the mindset embedded in the DNA of our sport: if we don't have it, we are dead.”
“I will continue to push and motivate every member of the team at every level and in every area. We must do better than in 2024,” concluded a determined Fred Vasseur.
Ferrari, 2025 car presentation and F1 tests: the schedule
As the hectic weeks leading up to the start of the world championship begin, Ferrari is preparing to unveil the SF-25. Behind the wheel of Maranello's latest creation will be Charles Leclerc and the newly arrived Lewis Hamilton. The arrival of the seven-time world champion, a true legend of the sport, appears to have further fueled the motivation of the Emilia-based team, determined to return to the top after fifteen years without a title.
On the evening of Tuesday, February 18, the Prancing Horse will reveal the livery of the new single-seater during the F1 75 event. Following the London show, Ferrari will unveil the SF-25 on the same day before heading to Fiorano for the customary shakedown on Wednesday, February 19, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
After that, the only thing standing between Ferrari and its season debut in Australia on March 16 will be pre-season testing, scheduled for February 26-28.
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