Fred Vasseur’s potential successor at Ferrari is now the centre of intense speculation among fans and insiders. As pressure mounts on the team to deliver results, everyone is eager to discover who might take the reins and steer Ferrari towards a new era of success.
The upcoming Austrian Grand Prix gives team principal Fred Vasseur another opportunity to turn Ferrari’s middling form around after their tough start to the 2025 Formula 1 campaign.
Ferrari currently sit third in the constructors’ championship after the first 10 Grand Prix of the season.
However, they theoretically should be fourth if Red Bull’s second driver could come anywhere near Max Verstappen in terms of points scoring.
Lewis Hamilton’s greatest achievement since leaving Mercedes is winning the Sprint Race in China, while Charles Leclerc has only managed to finish on the podium three times this year.
McLaren have opened up a 191-point lead over Ferrari already, which, considering the Scuderia only finished 14 points behind their Woking-based rivals at the end of last season, is understandably disappointing.
Ferrari are rushing through an update for the Austrian Grand Prix, but it is yet to be seen whether that will take the pressure off team principal Fred Vasseur.
Journalist Leo Turrini believes that a potential successor for Vasseur is already well known.
It’s up to chairman John Elkann to decide if he wants to stick with Vasseur or make a switch now with next season’s regulation changes in mind.
Photo by Laurent Cartalade/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Antonello Coletta is the name on ‘everyone’s lips’ as Fred Vasseur’s potential Ferrari replacement
Turrini was writing on the blog for Quotidiano ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix about the predicament that Ferrari find themselves in.
He explained: “The fans’ malaise is completely justified. Especially after a winter, the last one, spent celebrating inevitable victories.
“The second. If you’ve been losing for a lifetime and in the meantime you’ve smoked drivers like Alonso, Vettel, half a Leclerc and a quarter of Hamilton, come on, despite all his limitations, which are not few, it’s absurd to make Vasseur yet another scapegoat. Presumed innocent, no, but also the only guilty party, no.
“That said, the results of the SF25, so far, are indefensible and admitting right away that the situation was critical (euphemism) would have been a nice gesture towards the people.
“At this point, as I have already said, the ball is in the owners’ court, to the shareholders who control Ferrari and to the CEO, [Benedetto] Vigna.
“If they trust the country priest, with all that is attached, they would do well to renew his contract. As soon as possible.
“If, on the other hand, they no longer believe in Vasseur’s leadership, they would do well to send him home. As soon as possible. The name of the potential successor has been on everyone’s lips for months, and I could add that before landing in Maranello, the ferocious [Jean] Todt won at Le Mans. Then Coletta is not Todt, but that’s another story.”
Who is Antonello Coletta amid Fred Vasseur replacement rumours
Vasseur’s position at Ferrari is said to be under threat, but whether the team acts now or when his contract concludes at the end of the season is another matter.
Coletta’s background has always been in management, acting as sporting director for Forti Corse more than 30 years ago before working for Peugeot and Alfa Romeo.
The 58-year-old joined Ferrari in 1997, working on their Ferrari Challenge project before being appointed the team’s head of sporting activities in 2014.
He’s since been in charge of Ferrari’s endurance endeavours and has enjoyed great success in recent years.
The last three winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Hypercar category have been Ferraris, and Coletta described the customer AF Corse team winning this year’s race as a ‘fantastic result’ in his official press conference.
Whether Coletta is ready for the additional spotlight of being a Formula 1 team principal is yet to be seen, but he’s the man everyone is talking about if Vasseur moves on.
