‘We are going in the right direction’ – Vasseur on his new deal, Ferrari's progress and the challenge facing Hamilton

We're on the top level of Ferrari's motorhome in Budapest, Hungary, and while the F1 crew are setting up their cameras and repositioning the sofas for our interview, Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur is leaning on the balcony, surveying the paddock containing the engineering trucks that will be under his leadership for at least the next couple of years.

Vasseur pens a new Ferrari deal

The day before, Ferrari announced they had extended Vasseur's stay at F1's most famous team on a multi-year deal (the three-year contract he signed ahead of joining in 2023 expiring at the end of this season). It brought to an end speculation in the Italian press around the time of the Canadian Grand Prix that his position was under threat.

That speculation came despite the fact Ferrari were – and still are – second in the Teams' Championship, admittedly well adrift of McLaren but ahead of power houses Mercedes and Red Bull. It comes after Ferrari came closer to winning a title than they have done in more than a decade by taking the fight in the Teams’ Standings to the wire last year.