Vasseur: Ferrari must take risks and hit the ground running

Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur has laid down the gauntlet ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 season, emphasizing the crucial need for the Scuderia to come out swinging when the lights go out in Australia next month.

The Maranello-based squad wrapped up the 2024 season in second place in the Constructors’ Championship after a hard-fought battle with McLaren.

But Vasseur knows that in F1, standing still means falling behind, particularly with the sport’s looming shift in regulations for 2026.

The Frenchman therefore insists that playing it safe simply isn’t an option for Ferrari.

‘If You Don’t Take Risks, You’re Dead’

“Everyone has to take risks. If you don’t, you’re dead,” Vasseur told F1.com.

“Developing a new car is always complicated, but it is even more so this year because 2025 will not be a season like the others.”

Indeed, F1 teams will have to juggle short-term success with long-term planning, as development focus will soon shift toward the new 2026 regulations.

That means any outfit starting the season on the back foot could struggle to catch up.

“We will have to start working on 2026 soon and for this reason, it will be essential to be competitive straight away in Bahrain.

“With development that will be stopped early, those who start late will have little chance of recovering,” Vasseur predicted.

With Ferrari hungry to end its championship drought, a strong launch to the season could set the tone for a serious title challenge.

But beyond just raw pace, the Scuderia faces another fascinating dynamic in 2025 – the arrival of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton vs. Leclerc: The Ferrari Power Struggle?

The blockbuster signing of Hamilton has already set the stage for an intriguing intra-team battle with Charles Leclerc.

Seven-time Grand Prix winner Juan Pablo Montoya believes that Hamilton’s title chances hinge on Ferrari delivering to the Briton a race-winning machine.

“Hamilton’s chances of winning the championship will depend on how comfortable he is and how good of a car Ferrari can produce,” Montoya said. “It would be a hell of a story if he wins it.”

But Montoya also highlighted that Leclerc must play the long game if he wants to emerge as Ferrari’s lead driver over time.

“If Charles plays the season smartly, plays nice with Hamilton but keeps outperforming him, then the whole of Ferrari will support Leclerc,” he noted.

“Leclerc is managed by politically smart people and I think they will keep telling him to play the long-term game. That’s very important.

“If Leclerc plays the long-term game and knows that Lewis Hamilton won’t be at Ferrari forever, he’ll need to have the team’s support until then.”

The stage is set for a dramatic season, and Ferrari's performance in Australia will provide the first crucial clues to their championship potential.

As the engines fire up in Melbourne, all eyes will be on the red cars – and whether they can seize the moment.

Read also: Piero Ferrari's reassurance to the Tifosi about Hamilton

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook