– Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur will not attend the third free practice session and qualifying in Monaco due to health problems. The team announced this in an official press release.
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“Following medical examinations, Fred remains under observation in a local clinic,” the team explained. Ferrari did not provide any further details on the exact cause in the statement.
Vasseur’s role in free practice and qualifying will most likely be taken over by Jerome d’Ambrosio. The former Formula 1 driver has been employed as deputy team principal at Ferrari since October 2024.
This weekend, expectations at the Scuderia are immense. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc impressed in both sessions on Friday and are therefore among the favorites in the Principality.
Nevertheless, the team principal’s statements from Friday sound cautious: “I don’t care about all the rumors,” he said. “We have a job to do.”
“In Monaco, there’s a long way between Friday and qualifying and the race,” explained the 58-year-old. “The most difficult thing is that you have to predict the evolution of the track and the grip.”
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“You always have to be one session ahead [in your mind]. That’s the real challenge for the team and the drivers. It’s still a long way, and we’ll only know the true pace tomorrow evening.”
Leclerc’s statements strike a similar chord: “Red Bull and especially [Max Verstappen] were very close to us in FP2,” said the Ferrari driver. In the second free practice session, Verstappen’s time was less than two tenths behind Hamilton’s best time.
“I expect them to be very strong,” Leclerc continued. “I also expect McLaren and Mercedes. Once they put everything together in qualifying, it will be very close.”
Finally, Leclerc emphasized: “I think it will be a closer qualifying than people expect.”
Ferrari last secured a victory in the Principality in 2024. At that time, local hero Leclerc won his home Grand Prix for the first time and achieved one of three season victories.
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