Jacques Villeneuve has criticised Ferrari's committee-led management structure, insisting it "doesn't work" in Formula One. The 1997 world champion's comments came after the Scuderia issued a public statement supporting team principal Frederic Vasseur, whose long-term future had been questioned during a difficult run of form.
Villeneuve's Verdict on Ferrari's Management
Speaking ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang, Villeneuve said the team principal is "never the scapegoat" and that anyone joining Ferrari knows "that's the price to pay." He contrasted Ferrari's approach with rivals like Mercedes, where Toto Wolff makes all decisions and is also an owner.
Villeneuve said: "The team principal is never the scapegoat. He is at the top of the organisation, so when things go well he looks great and, when things don't go well, he's the one who takes the beating. It's normal. And Ferrari, anyone who goes to Ferrari, not just a team principal, knows that's the price to pay."
He added: "But if you look at other teams, like Mercedes, Toto [Wolff] makes all the decision – nobody is above him. And he's also an owner of the team, like teams used to be in the past. You don't have that at Ferrari. Vasseur doesn't have full control about what's going on or decision-making. A committee doesn't work – it's too slow. In F1, you have to be reactive, you have to be quick."
Vasseur Responds to Speculation
Ferrari's communications chief, on behalf of chairman John Elkann and chief executive Benedetto Vigna, said the team continues to have "full confidence" in Vasseur and believes the project is on the right track. Vasseur, who signed a new contract last year, repeated his concern about constant speculation being a distraction.
He said: "When you see the noise and all the rumours in the press all the week, I think as a team we need to work in serenity, and it was absolutely not the case." Regarding the vote of confidence, he added: "I think the statement was mandatory to do something, or it would have been the same this weekend. But honestly, the big issue that we have today is the stability, the serenity into the team, the focus that we need to have, and not to have this kind of question all day."
Ferrari remain F1's most successful team in terms of title wins, but their most recent crown came 18 years ago, and another opportunity has slipped away this season despite a promising start.
