Fred Vasseur Misses Monaco Qualifying — F1 News Today

f1 news today: Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur will miss Monaco Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday for medical reasons and remains under observation at a local medical facility. Ferrari said it expects him back at the track soon, a setback arriving as the team heads into one of its strongest weekends of the season.

Ferrari at Monaco

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc finished first and second in both Friday practice sessions, putting Ferrari in a strong position before qualifying. The team has not won a grand prix since October 2024, so Monaco already carried more weight than a normal Saturday.

Vasseur had been on site on Friday and spoke about how hard it was to build a lap at Monaco with 10% more cars on the grid this year. He said, "It was difficult to put a lap together for everybody and with 10% more cars (on the grid this year) it is more than 10% more difficult."

Vasseur Under Observation

Ferrari said, "Fred Vasseur will not be at the circuit today." It added, "Following some medical checks, Fred will remain under observation at a local medical facility." The team also said, "No further medical information will be provided."

That leaves Ferrari entering qualifying without the man who took over from Mattia Binotto in January 2023. The practical work now falls to the crew around Hamilton and Leclerc, who put the car at the front in both Friday sessions and gave Ferrari a real chance to turn practice pace into the result it has been chasing since October 2024.

Monaco Qualifying Pressure

Vasseur also said Friday that tyres were becoming more important again in performance and that with so many cars on track it would be key to do a proper out-lap and a clean lap. At Monaco, where traffic already shapes the session, Ferrari's pace and its ability to manage the track cleanly now become the main story for Saturday without its team principal on the pit wall.