Fred Vasseur armed with strong defence in 'destroy individuals' warning

Fred Vasseur has received staunch public support from fellow team principal James Vowles as the Ferrari boss finds himself under the gun.

The Frenchman is battling extreme external pressure to turn Ferrari's fortunes around amid a disappointing campaign.

Heading into the F1 season, there were high hopes the Scuderia would be fighting for championship honours, but 10 rounds in to the 24-weekend schedule that has yet to materialise.

Italian media has grown increasingly vocal and dissatisfied with the underwhelming situation at Maranello.

It is also believed Ferrari CEO John Elkann met with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner over a potential switch to the Prancing Horse, although the Briton has denied having interest in the position. 

Not only has it amped up the scrutiny on Vasseur, key members of his staff have been targeted by the press, which has incensed the 56-year-old.

He has argued it is "hurting" the team, and that whilst he can "manage" with the pressure placed upon him as team principal, he does not feel it is fair on those who work for him, a sentiment Vowles agrees with.

The 46-year-old highlighted how he had seen the press "destroy" people through reporting on situations it might not been fully informed on.

"I think the thing I’d put here, of all - I’ve known Fred for probably 20 years or so," the Williams team principal told media including RacingNews365. "Fred is an incredibly good leader.

"And what you see him doing... is he’s shouldering all of this because that’s what we do, and that’s our job to do it. And his point is actually valid.

"For me personally, it’s never caused me grief or upset. But what I’ve seen it do is destroy individuals as a result of one line that’s written by someone who may or may not know any details behind it."

Vowles underlined the impact the media can have on a team and on the individuals within in it, before again throwing his support behind Vasseur and the job he is doing at Ferrari.

"So answering your question, it shows you what the power of words are - in a positive and negative sense," he said.

"But what I would say is I have all the respect in the world for Fred and what he is doing in Ferrari, because they are competitive and they are moving forward. Simple as that."