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The Italian Journalists’ Union, UIGA, has responded to the harsh comments made by Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur about the recent controversy surrounding his position within the team. During the race weekend in Canada, Vasseur strongly criticized the Italian media, who suggested that Ferrari might want to replace him following a disappointing start to the season. According to the UIGA, the media should report truthfully, but they are not obliged to support Ferrari unconditionally.
The exit rumors followed high expectations for Ferrari heading into the 2025 season. The team had a promising car at the end of last year and could finally count on seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton this season. However, the results have been lacking. Charles Leclerc has only managed to secure two podium finishes on behalf of Scuderia in the past ten Grand Prix, leaving the team stuck in third place in the constructors’ championship. The team is clearly not on par with competitors such as Mercedes and McLaren.
This led to Fred Vasseur’s position being called into question. Italian media reported that the company’s top brass in Maranello had given him until the British Grand Prix to turn things around. Vasseur risked his contract not being renewed after 2025. The Frenchman defended himself, calling such reporting ‘disrespectful’ and warning that such rumors are harmful to the team. He also made a clear distinction between professional journalism and sensationalist ‘clickbait’.
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‘No Need to Support Ferrari’
The UIGA has now issued its own statement, in which it emphasizes the importance of press freedom on the one hand, but also the importance of carefulness and responsibility in sports journalism on the other. “A well-known team boss of an Italian team has expressed his concern about the spread of unconfirmed reports that could potentially be harmful,” says the UIGA, referring to Vasseur and Ferrari.
“It is not the job of journalists to support a team, but to honestly report on what is happening,” the statement continues. “Journalism must be based on integrity, fact-checking, and awareness of the context in which it operates.” The union acknowledges that incorrect or unverified reporting can indeed cause damage within a team, especially when it concerns positions at the top or important technical staff.
However, the union also makes a principled point: “No form of pressure, direct or indirect, may or can restrict press freedom. But that freedom becomes all the more valuable when it is accompanied by full responsibility.” The statement concludes with a call to the journalistic community to continue to seek the balance between the right to inform and respect for individuals: “In a media season where speed and spectacle often seem more important than quality, we must continue to defend the value of sober, accurate, and independent reporting.”
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