Team principal Fred Vasseur believes Lewis Hamilton is going to rebound at Ferrari and start winning races. However, he also admits it’s possible he and others in Maranello “underestimated the importance of the change” when the British driver signed on with the Italian Formula One team.
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He had that and a lot more to say on a recent episode of F1’s Beyond The Grid podcast. While he reflected on the gravity of Hamilton’s transition and the challenges it’s presented for the driver, Vasseur also expressed optimism at the future.
He noted that previously, the seven-time world champ had been at two UK-based teams, spending 10 years at McLaren and 12 with Mercedes. Not only did those two organizations share similar cultures, they also had the same engine.
Transitioning to a team that runs very differently has presented a huge challenge for Hamilton.
In the interview, Vasseur also noted how tight the competition was for the 2025 season, with “one-tenth of a second” making a huge different in the different GPs. That can be attributed to a number of factors, not just the driver, says the team principal.
As many are fond of saying, F1 is a team sport, not an individual one. To put all of the blame on Hamilton would be inaccurate.
Others have been theorizing if not claiming insider information that Hamilton has been the victim of a clash with people inside Scuderia Ferrari who don’t want to change how they do things. Hamilton himself has referenced battling it out with engineers and members of management, trying to get the setup of his car right.
Appearing to agree with these assessments to at least an extent, Vasseur said, “It’s up to us to support him when he is struggling, and we also need to push him when he’s struggling.” He seems confident if the team rallies around the driver, he will find success on the circuits once again.
“He’s a champion, he’s doing very well, and he has the pace. The other characteristic is to try to get the best from the people around you, extra motivation, and extra push. For sure, this characteristic is there.”
Image via Scuderia Ferrari HP