Ferrari's Fred Vasseur misses Monaco GP Saturday for medical observation

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur will be absent from the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday after the Italian constructor confirmed he is under observation at a local medical facility. The team released a brief statement but declined to share further details about his condition.

“Fred Vasseur will not be present at the circuit today,” Ferrari’s statement read. “Following some medical checks, Fred will remain under observation at a local medical facility. No further medical information will be provided. We wish Fred a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back at the track soon.”

With Vasseur sidelined, his trackside responsibilities are expected to fall to deputy team principal Jerome d’Ambrosio, the former F1 driver who joined Ferrari in October 2024 after a year at Mercedes.

The timing is notable given Ferrari’s strong form heading into qualifying. The SF-26 showed particular strength through Monaco’s slow-speed corners during Friday practice, with the Scuderia finishing first and second in both FP1 and FP2. Charles Leclerc set the pace in FP1 with a 1m13.978s, 0.226 seconds clear of Lewis Hamilton, before Hamilton reversed the order in FP2, edging his team-mate by 0.111s.

Despite the encouraging signs, Vasseur — speaking before his absence was confirmed — urged caution. “I don’t care about this kind of approach or rumours that we have to do the job,” he said on Friday. “It’s a very long way in Monaco from Friday first to the quali and to the race. The most difficult is that you have to anticipate the evolution of the track, the evolution of the grip. You have to be always one session ahead.”

Leclerc, who won in Monaco in 2024, also tempered expectations. “Red Bull, and Max especially, was very close to us in FP2,” the Monegasque said, with Max Verstappen finishing third in both sessions and ending FP2 just 0.168s off Hamilton’s benchmark. “I expect them to be very strong, I expect McLaren and Mercedes, as well, once they put everything together in qualifying, they will be very close. So I think it’s going to be a tight qualifying and more than what people expect.”

Ferrari enters the weekend with a clear motivation beyond the constructors’ standings: Mercedes has won all five grands prix so far in 2026, and Monaco’s technical layout represents one of the Scuderia’s best opportunities yet to end that run.