Ferrari’s Vasseur Hospitalized Ahead of Monaco GP Qualifying, Team Confirms]

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has been hospitalized and will miss Qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, the Italian team confirmed on Saturday.

Vasseur, 58, has led Ferrari since the start of 2023 and was present at the circuit on Friday for both practice sessions, during which Ferrari fielded a one-two finish in each session. The team announced his absence ahead of final practice, stating he remains under observation at a local medical facility following routine checks.

“Fred Vasseur will not be present at the circuit today. Following some medical checks, Fred will remain under observation at a local medical facility,” Ferrari said in a statement.

“No further medical information will be provided. We wish Fred a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back at the track soon.”

Vasseur addressed the media on Friday after Lewis Hamilton topped second practice ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc, later seen departing the track in the evening. Ferrari currently lead the field in Monaco where their car characteristics favor the slow and medium-speed corners defining the streets of Monte Carlo.

“We have to do a job. It’s a very long way from Friday to Qualifying and the race,” Vasseur said. “The most difficult [thing] is you have to anticipate the evolution of the track, the grip. You always have to be one session ahead and this is a challenge for the teams and drivers. We will see on Saturday afternoon the real pace.”

Hamilton, seeking his first victory since joining Ferrari, described the day as positive despite ongoing brake concerns with his car. “It’s been a positive day overall and the car felt quite good right from the first laps,” Hamilton said. “The team did a solid job with the changes we made between the two sessions and we were able to work through our programme without any major issues.”

“Monaco is always a very different challenge, with the bumps and the close proximity of the barriers, so it’s not easy to find the right balance and put everything together. There is still performance to be found and tonight we’ll focus on the details, because the margins are very small here and there’s plenty of work to do ahead of qualifying.”

Ferrari have not won a Grand Prix since October 2024.

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