Vasseur under siege as Ferrari succession talk grows

Pressure on Frederic Vasseur is still intensifying in Italy, with reports that Ferrari president John Elkann has sounded out WEC boss Antonio Coletta as a possible replacement.

Italian reports suggest Coletta remains reluctant to take the Formula 1 role, while current deputy Jerome D’Ambrosio has also been mentioned as a possible interim solution if Ferrari makes a change before the end of the season.

Corriere della Sera says Elkann and CEO Benedetto Vigna have tried for some time to persuade Coletta, but that the endurance chief is aware he lacks experience running an F1 operation.

The newspaper says Vasseur is being criticised internally over "private interests", his perceived closeness to Charles Leclerc and what some see as insufficient responsibility in his public comments.

But it also argues Ferrari has no obvious replacement.

"Vasseur isn’t winning, he’s not convincing, and he doesn’t have a competent racing partner at the top," Corriere della Sera reports.

"Those close to him describe him as tired and worn out, to the point that he might even decide to voluntarily retire at the end of the season, surprising his employers."

Former Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali, however, has warned strongly against reacting to the current crisis with another leadership upheaval.

"It’s a time when the results aren’t what we expect," the Formula 1 CEO told Rai Radio1’s Radio anch’io Sport.

"My experience tells me that especially at a time of so many rumours, including self-candidates from important people, we must remain strong, united, and avoid fanciful solutions that risk leading us astray and causing further delays."

"The more stormy the situation, the more the commander must stay on course."

Former F1 driver Timo Glock is also firmly against replacing Vasseur.

"Fred Vasseur brought Ferrari back to where the team is now, in second place in the World Championship," the German told Sky Deutschland.

"He brought structure and order to the team. To replace him now and start the next wave would, in my opinion, be completely wrong for Ferrari from a strategic point of view."

Corriere also noted the irony that several major figures who once worked at Ferrari are now thriving elsewhere, including Andrea Stella at McLaren, Laurent Mekies at Red Bull, Mattia Binotto at Audi and Domenicali at F1 itself.