Fred Vasseur points finger over 'turmoil' at Ferrari: 'I was really angry'

Fred Vasseur has taken aim at the press for propagating speculation about Ferrari, which he claims is the catalyst for "turmoil" within the Maranello-based squad. The Frenchman believes stories instigated and subsequently proliferated by the media went too far, arguing that reporting has become "more aggressive" in the pursuit of audience traffic in the internet age. Specifically, Vasseur, who had his contract as team principal extended in July, highlighted two rumours that accompanied widespread suggestions that Ferrari was looking to fire him - and potentially bring in recently-departed Red Bull boss Christian Horner. Numerous high-profile names in the F1 paddock, such as Toto Wolff, came to the 56-year-old's defence during the period, and whilst the speculation did ultimately subside in advance of his new, multi-year deal being confirmed, it has left an impression on Vasseur. When asked if he could work more peacefully now after his future was secured following turmoil, he highlighted how you cannot avoid interference of the kind. "Rumours caused the turmoil," Vasseur 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." It is mainly Italian publications that Vasseur was unhappy with, and throughout the period called on them to be more supportive of the Prancing Horse and focus their negative gaze on him, as opposed to people working underneath him. One particular narrative that irked the Ferrari boss involved Loïc Serra, the team's technical director, whom Vasseur again defended. "When these rumours first surfaced in Canada, I was really angry, because they went too far," he explained. "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." 'That has an impact on the team...' Vasseur highlighted another story that had an adverse effect internally at the Scuderia, with various reports that Charles Leclerc would seek a Mercedes move, despite a long-term contract of his own. He detailed how the national upset and accompanying noise delayed his contract extension from being finalised and announced. "The story with Charles Leclerc was similar," he added. "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."