Fred Vasseur still holds a grudge after Ferrari’s mid-season turmoil.

Fred Vasseur has fired back at sections of the media, insisting that speculation about his future and technical director Loic Serra’s role in the SF-25’s struggles ‘went too far’. The Ferrari boss also revealed that the noise surrounding his team slowed down his new contract negotiations. Vasseur penned a new multi-year deal ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, much to the delight of drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

However, just months earlier, doubt was cast over his future following reports from the Italian media. Frustration directed at Ferrari is born from the gap between the Prancing Horse and Constructors’ Championship leaders McLaren. Last year, the two teams fought for the title in Abu Dhabi, but after 14 Grands Prix in 2025, the gap between first and second in the standings is a staggering 299 points – 39 more than the Scuderia’s total tally.

Vasseur, however, pins the drama in the Ferrari camp on sections of the media. “Rumours caused the turmoil,” he told Auto Motor und Sport. “I didn’t start them, the media did. Neither Ferrari nor I spoke.

“But today, you can’t avoid such interference. I don’t want to tar all journalists with the same brush. But with the internet, reporting has become much more aggressive. There’s a pressure to generate clicks. When these rumours first surfaced in Canada, I was really angry.

“Because they went too far. My technical director, Loïc Serra, was accused of not doing a good job. And yet, the 2025 car was practically ready when Loïc started working for us. The story with Charles Leclerc was similar.

“Some people regularly wrote that Charles was going to Mercedes. Nobody cared that he repeatedly confirmed he had a long-term contract with Ferrari. That has an impact on the team. In Italy, people react more emotionally. Without this background noise, my talks with Ferrari would have been much quicker.”

With his contract secured, Vasseur and Ferrari can focus on their Constructors’ Championship fight with Mercedes. The Silver Arrows are currently 24 points behind the Scuderia in third place after George Russell scored his sixth podium of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

In both camps, the dynamic is similar. In Russell and Leclerc, Mercedes and Ferrari have drivers who have a stable footing in the team and are delivering at an elite level. Meanwhile, in Kimi Antonelli and Hamilton, their new recruits are still adapting to their new homes, and performances have fluctuated drastically on a weekend-to-weekend basis.