Racing
© fuji.tim
Ferrari will tackle Saturday’s crucial Monaco Grand Prix sessions without team principal Fred Vasseur after the team confirmed he is under medical observation at a local medical facility.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Ferrari said: “Fred Vasseur will not be present at the circuit today” and added that, “Following some medical checks, Fred will remain under observation at a local medical facility.” The team said no further medical information would be provided and added: “We wish Fred a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back at the track soon.”
The timing is a significant blow for Ferrari because it comes on the day Monaco’s weekend is usually decided. Overtaking is limited around Monte Carlo, and Ferrari had gone into Saturday as the early favorite after a commanding Friday that suggested the SF-26 is well matched to the circuit’s low-speed demands.
Vasseur had been at the track on Friday as Ferrari locked out the top two places in both practice sessions. Charles Leclerc led the way in FP1 with a 1m13.978s, finishing 0.226s ahead of Lewis Hamilton, before Hamilton reversed the order in FP2 and beat Leclerc by 0.111s.
Before his absence was announced, Vasseur had warned against treating that form as decisive. Fred Vasseur, Ferrari team principal, said on Friday: “It’s a very long way in Monaco from Friday, first to the quali, then to the race.” He added that the biggest challenge was anticipating “the evolution of the track, the evolution of the grip,” because “you have to be always one session ahead.”
With Vasseur away from the circuit, deputy team principal Jerome d’Ambrosio is expected to lead Ferrari’s trackside operation. He has previously stood in for Vasseur at the Austrian Grand Prix in 2025.
That leaves Ferrari trying to convert its strongest Monaco start of the season into pole position without its team principal on the pit wall for the most important running of the weekend.