Team boss Frederic Vasseur praises Ferrari’s “responsiveness” in the past 2024 season – What else gives him hope for the coming year
“We will take a big step forward [in 2025],” announced Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur after the 2024 Formula One season. And because the Scuderia was already the runner-up behind McLaren, this can certainly be seen as a small declaration of war.
At the end of the year, Ferrari were just 14 points short of their first world championship title since 2008, and Vasseur explains: “I’m quite happy with the work that has been done in the factory [for 2025]. But what makes me feel confident is more the step we have taken compared to a year ago.”
Because the 2023 season had ended with Ferrari in third place in the World Championship with just a single victory, a whopping 454 points behind world champions Red Bull. In 2024, the Scuderia won five races and was in the title fight until the last race of the year in Abu Dhabi.
“I am particularly proud of the team’s ability to react,” says Vasseur on Sky, adding: ‘We had problems in Canada, then with the update presented in Spain, accidents in Singapore and Baku, but each time we came back stronger, and that’s a very good sign for the future.’
Vasseur happy: “No internal disputes”
“One of the key moments of our season was between the UK and Austria,” he points out, explaining: “It was at that moment that we realized our package wasn’t working and we decided to take a step back, change something and try again.”
“Everyone was very open, there were no internal disputes, and I am proud of what we did,” said Vasseur about the failed Spain update for the SF-24. Between Spielberg and Silverstone, they pulled the emergency brake and realized that they were going in the wrong direction.
There was no false vanity involved, and everyone pulled together, said Vasseur, for whom this is not a matter of course. He explains: “When you win, everyone is nice, everyone is best friends, and those kinds of weekends are quite easy to handle.”
“In the difficult moments, the reaction is important, and we have reacted very well every time,“ he praises, and explains: ‘In June, we came back with solutions as quickly as possible, and everyone pushed in the same direction, and I was also very satisfied with the drivers’ reaction.”
Ferrari should improve “every single area”
This internal strength gives him encouragement for 2025, even though the team principal also emphasizes that Ferrari needs to improve in all areas in the coming year. “I think it would be a mistake to think that there is just one thing,” said Vasseur.
“If you want to do a good job, you have to focus on every single pillar of performance, on every single area,” he clarifies, explaining that every single part of the car must be better in 2025 than it was last season.
“I think we just have to do a better job in every single area and department of the company. It’s not a criticism, it’s just that the team has to be in the mindset of coming to work every morning and trying to do a better job than yesterday,” said Vasseur.
“This way of thinking applies to sport in general, and if we don’t have it, we’re done,” he emphasizes. He sees the conditions in Maranello as being right for making the leap we hope for in 2025, given the progress already made in 2024.
