Yesterday at 09:00
Fred Vasseur's leadership at Ferrari will face its acid test at the
start of next season with the introduction of F1's new regulations.
That is the belief of F1 champion Jenson Button, who is hoping
Vasseur can ride out the storm swirling around him and see Ferrari
through what promises to be a turbulent and transitional campaign
in 2026. Coming into this year, hopes were high that Ferrari could
build on its constructors' championship challenge last season,
which saw it come within 15 points of beating McLaren and clinching
its first piece of silverware in 16 years. The arrival of
seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton was an added spur, forming a
formidable driver pairing with Charles Leclerc. Ferrari, however,
has had to scrap for results and is in danger of slipping to fourth
in the standings by the end of the season. Aside from lying 352
points behind McLaren, it is 27 points behind Mercedes and only
eight points ahead of Red Bull. Leclerc's five podiums have
provided light relief, whilst aside from Hamilton's sprint win in
China, the 40-year-old Briton has failed to finish in the top three
in the 18 grands prix so far this campaign. Although Vasseur signed
a contract extension at the end of July, pressure is mounting as
the SF-25 is wanting for performance, with Leclerc, Hamilton and
all inside the Scuderia unable to fathom how it should work. It is
placing enormous strain on the team to get next year's car right
from the outset as F1 ushers in a new era. Button believes the fear
of failure is weighing over on Ferrari. "You can't be afraid to
fail," said the Sky Sports F1 pundit. "And that's what it feels
like at Ferrari. I think everyone feels it's easy to be pushed out
the door, and it's not a nice feeling to have. "You need to have
consistency throughout the team. It gives everyone confidence, and
[it gives] the drivers confidence. "So I hope that's not the case
next year. I hope that they see out the whole year together,
because there's going to be so much change for the first race, but
also the 24th race of next year. So much is going to change
throughout the year. "So it's a great team, and I think it has
really good leadership, and you don't get a better driver line-up
than that, no?" 'Tough to remember' for Ferrari Three-time W Series
champion, working alongside Button on punditry duty, feels Ferrari
will face a "tough" 2026 if it does not come flying out of the box
with a car to challenge for wins and podiums. "They've got a
world-class line-up," said Chadwick. "They bought in a seven-time
world champion that they ultimately want to see on the top step,
winning races, performing with them. "You kind of have these
seasons where you're just not able to get any results, and that
plays a part for everyone. Everyone in that team will feel that.
"Hopefully, they have a car that's capable of being up there next
year. If they don't, and they're in a scrap, then it's going to be
tough for them to kind of remember what it's like, and remember
what that feeling is like, to be winning every weekend."
