Vasser: We already switched to 2026 back in April.

      In Qatar, Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur spoke about the season’s results and plans for 2026...

      Question: Frédéric, your drivers’ comments in the media in recent weeks have attracted a lot of attention. How difficult was it for you to deal with that situation?

      Frédéric Vasseur: To be honest, I fully understand the drivers’ frustration after a crash, especially when they are not at fault, or after a bad performance. We feel the same frustration in the pit and on the pit wall. The most important thing is the reaction after the disappointment.

      Honestly, I think frustration can sometimes be useful. The main thing is the ability on Monday morning to be fully focused on the next race, the next season, the future. I would be disappointed if the drivers were happy after a poor weekend.

      You know my two drivers — they are who they are, and I fully accept that and share their frustration — it’s exactly the same on our pit wall. When there is a crash in Brazil and Charles is taken out of the fight because of the Piastre-Anthonelli collision, we all feel huge disappointment. We put so much effort during the season to fight for second place, and lose it by a tenth of a second. Or when technical problems occur. Different drivers have different ways of expressing their frustration, but everyone feels it the same.

      Question: In the Constructors’ Championship you trail Mercedes by 53 points and Red Bull by 13. How do you think the situation will develop over the last two race weekends?

      Frédéric Vasseur: I would prefer to be second with some gap to the rest, but, to be honest, I don’t pay attention to that gap. I didn’t even know last year, when we arrived in Abu Dhabi, how much we were behind McLaren until you told me that at the press conference.

      We will focus on the job and do our best. We still have two and a half races left, good chances to score points. Let’s focus on ourselves to try to do everything possible, and in Abu Dhabi we’ll see where we stand.

      Question: What do you think about the 2025 season, why did it turn out this way? At what point did you realize the season would be harder than you hoped?

      Frédéric Vasseur: We didn’t start the season very well. The double disqualification in China cost us a huge number of points. In the first four or five races McLaren dominated, and we realised that 2025 would be difficult for us.

      As a result, very early in the season — I think it was at the end of April — we decided to switch to the 2026 car. The decision wasn’t easy. Maybe I slightly underestimated the psychological side, because when you have 20 or 18 races ahead of you and you know you will not be introducing any aerodynamic upgrades, accepting that is quite hard. But we kept fighting. We continued to refine the mechanical side and tried to work as efficiently as possible. I still believe that was the right decision.

      Question: You said the season was tough for your team, but are there any positive aspects?

      Frédéric Vasseur: Even in a tough season there are positives. We got on the podium — in Mexico, in Austin, and in São Paulo we were close to it. That means we are on the right track. That is good for the team, at least psychologically. We were able to improve in all areas, and that is the best preparation for 2026.

      We agreed quite early to direct as much energy as possible to the future. That means we must respond accordingly as a whole team: even after the toughest weekend, return to base and keep working and developing. We’ll see next year whether we worked well enough this season.

      Question: For Lewis the year was especially difficult. But what did he bring to the team that had a positive impact? What would you like to see from him next season?

      Frédéric Vasseur: The season was difficult. I think that is a statement, not a feeling. But the most important thing is your reaction, the energy you put in to push the team again and again, to try to understand what the problems are and fix them — and that is done step by step.

      We knew early in the season it would be hard. But a month ago we got on the podium, and that was a collective achievement. It was not the work of one driver or one engineer. It was the work of 1,500 people at the factory, two drivers, all the engineers. Overall the reaction was good, and Lewis is certainly part of that reaction.

      Question: Yesterday there was a briefing with drivers and the stewards. How would you like to proceed — abolish the rules and rely only on the system and the stewards’ experience, or continue to improve the rules?

      Frédéric Vasseur: First of all, stability is important, and for that you need rules and their enforcement. Then you need to add the human factor, capable of judging and not simply following the rules.

      On-track situations can be complicated at times. I think that is because the racing has become much closer compared to before. I believe keeping the human factor in decision-making makes sense. It’s not just about the wheel nut during an overtake being one millimetre ahead of the mirror of another car — the driver in the cockpit still wouldn’t be able to judge that. It’s practically impossible when you are sitting in the car. In the end, the human factor is important. But we must understand that a decision may be a little different if it is based not only on a mathematical approach.

      Question: You said that in April you decided to stop developing the car and underestimated the psychological factor. What processes and measures were taken to cope with that impact? How much did it affect the drivers and their results on track?

      Frédéric Vasseur: First of all, the decision was supported by all team members. At some point you tell yourself: “It will be very difficult to catch McLaren with such a deficit in pace and points. So let’s focus the resources we have in the wind tunnel on 2026.” At the same time, we continued to develop the mechanical side and refine the car, apart from aerodynamics.

      The drivers were part of that decision. They are fully focused on our project. In such a situation you have to act as one team, and that is exactly what we did.

      Question: The off-season will be short this year. How much does that complicate the task? Did this factor influence the decision to focus on 2026 earlier?

      Frédéric Vasseur: We always plan the schedule based on the date of the first tests. Yes, now we need to release all the parts a little earlier than last year. In addition, you now have the mandatory Christmas break — that is good for us and our families, but it is another ten days out of the schedule.

      After the final race we will still have tests in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, which means there are not 36 days left but seven fewer. I don’t mean myself or the drivers. I’m talking primarily about the mechanics. For them everything is much harder than for others. We have to think about them. The task will be difficult.