"5 people in 11 years": Michael Schumacher's former close aide on why Ferrari is struggling

Michael Schumacher's former ally, Gino Rosato, has given the reason behind Ferrari's dry spell of championships in the past decade. He lamented how the team has been run under five different leaderships in the past 11 years, asserting the hierarchy's trigger-happiness as one of the main reasons behind the Scuderia's struggles.

Ferrari is the most decorated team in the history of F1. The Maranello-based squad has won 16 Constructors' and 15 Drivers' titles, of which Schumacher's stint at the Italian team between 1996-2006 had helped them secure 11 of these championships.

The German driver's era at the Prancing Horses was marked by stable leadership at the team, which the squad has been deprived of since the 2010s. Five different people served as the team principal between 2014-2024, leading Rosato to criticise the squad's one major shortcoming on the Pitstop podcast:

"I arrived in 2014, it was [Stefano] Domenicali, then we had [Marco] Mattiacci, then we had [Maurizio] Arrivabene, and then we had [Mattia] Binotto. And now we should be talking about [Fred] Vasseur. This is five people in 11-12 years. Fred Vasseur knows his f**king racing, but, now, you take away Fred, now they seem to be back on track. So now, you need to keep this guy stable, leave it, leave Fred there another four or five years."

Meanwhile, incumbent team principal Fred Vasseur also had to tackle the speculations about him being sacked by the Italian giant mid-way through the season.

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Fred Vasseur was able to beat the speculations of him being sacked by Ferrari

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur at the 2025 F1 Grand Prix of Hungary - Source: Getty

Italian media had initially claimed that Vasseur's move away from Maranello was on the cards, which led the Frenchman to call out such reports for targeting the team. Since then, a sense of tranquility has surrounded his job, as the team recently confirmed that the 57-year-old had signed a multi-year contract extension with them.

Content with Ferrari's decision to continue with him, Vasseur said in the press release by the team:

"I’m grateful for the trust Ferrari continues to place in me. This renewal is not just a confirmation — it’s a challenge to keep progressing, to stay focused, and to deliver. Over the past 30 months, we’ve laid strong foundations, and now we must build on them with consistency and determination. We know what’s expected, and we’re all fully committed to meeting those expectations and taking the next step forward together."

On the other hand, under Vasseur's leadership, Ferrari brought seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton on board at Maranello. The team currently sits second in the Constructors' standings, behind last year's champion, McLaren.

Edited by Luke Koshi