Scuderia Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has spoken about Lewis Hamilton‘s chances of securing a podium finish this season, as only eight grands prix remain for the 2025 campaign to conclude.
Hamilton has faced ups and downs since his debut Ferrari season thus far, with his best finish being the Chinese GP sprint race, which he won However, his form dropped considerably as F1 approached the summer break, prompting him to call himself “useless” during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.
Last weekend’s race at Monza saw the seven-time world champion in top form, despite him starting the race with a five-place grid penalty. Hamilton started the grand prix in P10 and recovered four positions to finish sixth. He later explained that he was getting more used to his Ferrari SF-25 car the more time he spent with it.
Notably, Hamilton’s last podium finish was at the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix with Mercedes, where he finished second. Vasseur, who has shared a long professional relationship with the Briton since his junior racing years, was asked by the media if he believed Hamilton would secure a podium this year. He said:
Ferrari’s British driver Lewis Hamilton (L) and Ferrari’s French team principal Frederic Vasseur speak ahead of the first practice session for the 2025 Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix at the Imola autodrome in Imola,…
Ferrari’s British driver Lewis Hamilton (L) and Ferrari’s French team principal Frederic Vasseur speak ahead of the first practice session for the 2025 Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix at the Imola autodrome in Imola, on May 16, 2025.
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“Yeah, because he was able to fight with Russell at Zandvoort and was able to come from P10 to the gearbox of Russell [at Monza]. Yes, we can expect to be on the podium.
“Honestly, it started in Zandvoort last week, and it’s difficult because the outcome of the weekend was not positive, but at the end of the day, the pace was better from the beginning compared to Charles. The mood was better during the race, he was fighting with Russell until Lap 30, and that means he was in a better position.”
Ferrari received huge support from Italian fans at Monza, who had turned up in large numbers to cheer for their favorite team. Vasseur believes the energy from the fans, known as the tifosi, fueled Hamilton with the much-needed energy to fight. He added:
“I think the energy he received from the Tifosi on Wednesday in Milan was something very special for him. I don’t know what he was expecting, but it was something mega, and this gave him an extra boost all weekend, so for sure, we had to serve the penalty, and knew it would not be an easy one, but he came back, and the pace was there from the first lap of FP1.”
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