Fred Vasseur faces pressure as Ferrari misses John Elkann championship targets
Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Sep 12, 2026, 10:30 AM
Last updated Sep 12, 2026

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur is under internal scrutiny as the team struggles to meet the 2026 performance window set by executive chairman John Elkann. In September 2022, Elkann publicly expressed confidence that Ferrari would capture both drivers' and constructors' titles within four years. Halfway through the 2026 season, Mercedes holds a 122-point lead in the constructors' standings. Lewis Hamilton currently ranks third in the drivers' championship, trailing the leader by 76 points, while Charles Leclerc sits in fifth place. Although Vasseur inherited these expectations after arriving after the initial pledge, his tenure is being assessed against these specific championship goals. While there are no current plans to dismiss Vasseur, whose contract extends through 2027, recent leadership displays at the Italian Grand Prix have intensified the focus on team performance and long-term direction.
- •John Elkann pledged in September 2022 that Ferrari would win both titles by 2026.
- •Mercedes currently leads Ferrari by 122 points in the 2026 constructors' standings.
- •Lewis Hamilton sits third and Charles Leclerc fifth in the drivers' championship.
- •Vasseur remains under contract until the end of 2027 despite increasing scrutiny.
- •No immediate leadership changes are planned at Ferrari.
- 10:30 AMYahoo Sports — The promise Elkann made at Monza four years ago that now defines Vasseur's future at Ferrari
"On 10 September 2022, in an interview with Italian daily Gazzetta dello Sport during the Italian Grand Prix weekend, Ferrari chairman John Elkann declared he had "faith that between now and 2026 Ferrari will win a constructors' and a drivers' championship again. " That four-year horizon has now arrived, leaving the man now tasked with fulfilling Elkann's promise under growing pressure.
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