Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur will not be at the circuit for Saturday’s Monaco Grand Prix qualifying after undergoing medical checks overnight and remaining under observation at a local medical facility.
The absence comes on the most important day of the weekend at Monte Carlo, where track position can decide the race before it has properly begun. Vasseur, 58, was at the track on Friday and saw Ferrari complete a one-two in both practice sessions, with Lewis Hamilton leading Charles Leclerc in second practice.
Ferrari said Vasseur will remain under observation and added that no further medical information will be provided. The team said it wished him a speedy recovery and looked forward to seeing him back at the track soon, but did not say who would lead the operation in his place at Monaco.
That uncertainty lands at a time when Ferrari had reason to be encouraged. The car appears suited to Monaco’s slow and medium-speed corners, and Hamilton said after Friday’s running that it had been a positive day overall, with the team making solid changes between sessions and working through its programme without major issues.
Hamilton also said there was still performance to find before qualifying, a reminder that Friday pace at Monaco often tells only part of the story. Vasseur made the same point after speaking to the media on Friday, saying the team had to do its job and that the real pace would be shown on Saturday afternoon because the track grip evolves from session to session.
Ferrari has not won a Grand Prix since October 2024, and Monaco has become one of its best chances to end that run. Hamilton is still chasing a first victory since joining Ferrari, and Leclerc has already shown on home soil how narrow the margins can be around the streets of Monte Carlo. With Vasseur sidelined after medical checks, Ferrari goes into qualifying without the man who has led the team since the start of 2023.
