Ferrari in Turmoil: Internal Conflict Reaches Breaking Point
Ferrari’s Formula 1 team is once again embroiled in internal chaos, with a dramatic power struggle emerging between team principal Fred Vasseur, engineering staff, and star driver Charles Leclerc.
Radical Redesign Backfires Spectacularly
After a strong finish to the previous season, Ferrari’s sudden decision to radically overhaul their car design has created unprecedented problems throughout the 2025 campaign. Both Scuderia drivers have consistently complained about technical instability – the car shows promise during practice sessions on both long and short runs, but consistently loses pace during crucial qualifying moments and races.
The situation reached a new low when attempts to solve speed issues at different ride heights resulted in excessive wear to the floor plank, earning the team a disqualification. “We are not strong enough, Ferrari has big problems with the car,” admitted Charles Leclerc after the Singapore Grand Prix.
Leclerc’s Frustration Boils Over
The Monegasque driver expressed deep concerns about the team’s direction: “I want to remain optimistic, but there’s no feeling that our car has anything that will allow us to take a step forward. Unfortunately, this is reality. And I don’t see how this can be fixed – there will be no more updates.”
Management Crisis Erupts in Maranello
According to Corriere dello Sport, Ferrari is experiencing a full-blown management crisis driven by disagreements between three factions: team boss Fred Vasseur, the engineering group, and driver Charles Leclerc.
Vasseur’s Explosive Confrontation
The radical car redesign is believed to have been dictated by a desire to help seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton adapt to the team. However, the strategy backfired completely, with miscalculations in the SF-25 overhaul leading to internal chaos characterized by mutual accusations and conflicts.
Following a disappointing Singapore qualifying session, team principal Fred Vasseur reportedly exploded at chief race engineer Matteo Togninalli. While Italian press didn’t provide specific details of the conversation, they confirmed the Frenchman was “very unhappy and spoke in raised tones.”
Compromise Culture Creates Tension
The confrontation likely stemmed from constant setup compromises the Scuderia must make to balance speed against the need to reach the finish line without breakdowns or disqualifications. Team leadership is clearly frustrated that even after more than a dozen Grand Prix events, the track team still hasn’t found more effective setup solutions.
Recurring Problems Plague Ferrari Performance
Vasseur had previously acknowledged that Ferrari faces numerous recurring issues, particularly the constant need to employ lift-and-coast strategies – where drivers lift off the throttle early before braking to coast the car and save fuel and brake resources.
Driver Frustration Reaches Radio
Brake problems in Singapore forced Hamilton to cut corners, while Leclerc spent the entire race monitoring temperatures and genuinely risked sharing his teammate’s fate. Throughout most of the race, the Monegasque received repeated orders from his race engineer to lift off the throttle and coast into braking zones.
When the commands resumed after a brief pause, Leclerc snapped over team radio, delivering an emotional speech about being tired of repeating the maneuver “200 meters on every lap.” His frustration peaked precisely as Andrea Kimi Antonelli overtook him, highlighting the performance cost of Ferrari’s technical compromises.
Engineering Staff Discontent Grows
The internal conflict has now spread to Ferrari’s engineering department, creating a perfect storm of technical challenges and personnel disputes that threatens to derail the remainder of their 2025 season.
