Vigna appears at Sepang after Ferrari turmoil

Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna appeared in the Sepang paddock after a turbulent week of speculation around team principal Frederic Vasseur, although he insisted his visit had already been planned.

Vigna told Sky Italia that Ferrari remains united despite the recent noise.

"I had already planned to come to Sepang," he insisted.

"The team is united, motivated, and determined. I spoke with my colleagues, and it’s nice to see them like this."

"Reality counts - we’ve handled this situation well."

The reassurance came after Ferrari was forced to publicly back Vasseur amid renewed speculation over his future and possible alternatives like Christian Horner.

But the race itself produced another flashpoint when Charles Leclerc questioned Ferrari’s decision-making compared with Red Bull.

Ferrari had elected to start on slick tyres in the difficult conditions - a choice Leclerc said the team had believed was correct at the time.

"Clearly, there’s one team in particular, and that is Red Bull, that gets it right most of the time with both cars," he said.

"And for that, we need to understand what they are doing better than we do."

Vasseur defended the call, saying the conditions left teams with limited information.

"Half had chosen intermediates, the other half slicks," said the Frenchman.

"When you’re on the grid, you look at the asphalt and don’t have much more information."

"We make these decisions together. We simply lacked information."

"Nevertheless, it went well in the end, the strategy was good, the pace was strong, and the drivers managed the tyres well."

Lewis Hamilton finished third.