Ferrari’s Future in Flux: Vasseur’s Interim Success and the Impact of Cardile’s Departure

Ferrari, F1’s most successful team of all time — with 16 world titles — has been trophy-starved for more than 15 years now, something they are looking to change by 2026 with the arrival of Lewis Hamilton. There has been a lot at play behind the scenes, and their current trajectory back to the top began with the departure of Mattia Binotto in 2022.

Binotto’s failure to help the team progress in his three years in charge displeased the Ferrari top brass, who hired Frederic Vasseur. The Frenchman, in his first year and a half in charge, has done a great job.

While Ferrari is still not able to compete in the world championship, its plan is set in motion, and in 2024, they were responding well to early setbacks on the track. Then, something else hit them hard in their technical hierarchy.

Enrico Cardile, who was the Technical Director at Ferrari, decided to leave (rumored to join Aston Martin), and it could turn out to be a huge loss for the Maranello-based outfit.

Vasseur, who eyed ex-Mercedes chief Loic Serra for a long time, roped him in this May, along with Jerome d’Ambrosio, also from the Brackley-based outfit. As of October 1, both have already started working for Ferrari.

Vasseur’s immediate concern as such, will be to help the team get back to winning ways on a consistent basis.

Vasseur’s successes as Ferrari boss

Vasseur has not had it easy at Ferrari. But he has managed to be there and thereabouts the front in his time. 2024 in particular, has shown signs of real progress with the Scuderia winning three races in the campaign.

After Cardile left, Vasseur took up the duties of being interim Technical Director — something he has excelled in up until now.

As a Team Principal too, the Frenchman has eliminated those issues that had affected Ferrari for years and drove Binotto out of the team. They started responding better to strategy calls, developed better decision-making, and were making fewer errors with pit-stops.

But this success could just be short-term, as Cardile’s departure, although downplayed, could have serious ramifications with regard to Ferrari’s ambitions for 2025.

What Cardile’s exit could mean for Ferrari

Perhaps Ferrari is right in its approach to not worry too much about Cardile leaving. But no one could blame them if they did. After all, he was the man who was designing the ‘677’ — the reported project name of Ferrari’s 2025 car.

This could directly affect the team’s ambitions for 2025, which could mean that they would have to wait another year before challenging for the title. Next year would also mark the end of a deadline set by Ferrari President John Elkann in 2022.

Ahead of that year’s Italian GP, he confidently stated that Ferrari would end its championship drought before the 2026 regulations come into effect. As such, Serra will play a crucial role, as Ferrari’s championship hopes may rest heavily on his shoulders.

Balancing expectations and challenges

Ferrari has one goal in mind: winning the world championship, and the Tifosi expect them to start strong in 2025. Those involved in realizing this dream understand that recklessly pursuing short-term gains isn’t ideal, which is why they are also keeping an eye on the future.

However, their immediate challenge is to fill the void left by Cardile’s departure to Aston Martin. A significant slump in 2025 could harm the team’s image and finances. Motorsport reports that starting January 1, 2025, Ferrari will begin work on its 2026 challenger.

Serra, who will become the new Technical Director, along with d’Ambrosio and the engineering team at Maranello, will devote substantial time and effort to ensure they have a title-winning car ready for the 2026 season. The stakes are high, and the pressure is on to deliver excellence both on and off the track.