Ferrari started the 2026 Formula 1 season in a more encouraging position, already sparking optimism for the rest of the championship. For Jean Alesi, the team is finally on the right track, with the work of Scuderia boss Fred Vasseur being decisive for the recent progress.
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The former F1 driver stated that the strong start to the season reinforces the idea that the Italian team took the right direction after a difficult period last year. According to him, the current progress also indicates that the adjustments made throughout last year are starting to pay off.
Alesi recalled that the scenario was quite different in the final stretch of 2025. Ferrari faced competitiveness problems, with wrong decisions and a difficult moment for Lewis Hamilton, who according to the French ex-driver, was going through one of the toughest phases of his career. The pressure from the Italian press and the tifosi increased, and Alesi himself even described Ferrari’s season as ‘a catastrophe’.
“It was a catastrophe, but I didn’t say anything wrong. I just spoke the facts,” he said. The Frenchman highlighted that he was impressed with how the team started the new season, praising the car presented: “I am very satisfied now with the way they started, because they came with a proper Ferrari car. I am very impressed.”
Alesi also believes that the promising start shows that it was worth sacrificing part of the previous season to better prepare for the future. For him, Vasseur played a central role in this process, especially after reorganizing the structure and strengthening different areas of the team.
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The former Ferrari driver also emphasized that, in modern Formula 1, performance depends on collective work. According to him, the intense criticism suffered by the team last year affected internal balance, making the boss’s job even harder: “There was a lot of criticism of the team and him, and that completely destroyed the balance. Now it’s just the start of the season, but it seems Ferrari is on the right track,” he said.
Even with this progress, Alesi believes the competition will be tough throughout the season. He pointed to Mercedes as the initial benchmark, with Ferrari right behind and facing direct competition from McLaren and Red Bull Racing: “It’s a long championship. Everything depends on car development,” he added.
Finally, Alesi showed confidence in Ferrari’s duo. The Frenchman assured that Hamilton remains motivated and placed Charles Leclerc among the best on the current grid, alongside Max Verstappen: “Charles is very well rated among the drivers, for me. Max and Charles are at the top,” he concluded, reinforcing that Ferrari has everything to fight for the title.
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