Lewis Hamilton has opened up about team boss Fred Vasseur’s continued support and admirable qualities as he navigates a challenging first season at Ferrari following a 12-year association with the Mercedes F1 team.
The motorsport community was taken aback when news of Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari hit the headlines at the beginning of February 2024, specifically in light of the Brit having previously proclaimed that he would end his F1 career with Mercedes.
However, activating a release clause in his contract allowed Hamilton to put pen to paper with the Scuderia, and he ended up replacing Carlos Sainz, who eventually signed with Williams.
Despite the pre-season hype, Hamilton’s debut season with Ferrari has been far from ideal so far. While he put the SF-25 on Sprint pole and stormed to Sprint victory in China, the 40-year-old has been unable to score a single podium in the Grand Prix format.
After 18 rounds, Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc holds a definitive lead over the seven-time world champion in both Grand Prix qualifying and race head-to-head metrics.
Lessons are better when there’s nothing at stake
Since the beginning of the 2025 F1 campaign, Lewis Hamilton has been quite honest about how Fred Vasseur had played an instrumental role in getting him on board at Ferrari.
Speaking in a print media session ahead of the Singapore GP, the 105-time race winner admitted that Vasseur’s confidence in him has been wonderful. While he acknowledged the difficult season the historic Italian outfit has been experiencing, the Brit was quick to point out that there have been major lessons to take away from the setbacks.
Emphasising how the 16-time world champions are fully aware of their current limitations, Hamilton also claimed that the team’s unity is at its peak and that they are working towards the common goal of resolving their issues. He also added that it’s more convenient to go through a learning curve when they are relatively underperforming than when they are contending for a title.
“Fred [Vasseur]’s support in me has been amazing. It’s not been the perfect year, as we know, but there’s been a lot of learnings. I think we’re just going from strength to strength.
“I think we are more solid and more united as a team than ever before. There’s clearly the things that we need to improve on, but we’re under no illusions that that’s the case. Everyone’s just flat out focused on improving on processes.
“Right now, races like that, each race we’re learning something. We look at the last race and our shortcomings, for example, or things that it’s better to have now when we’re not fighting for a championship than in the moment where we are.”
Why does Hamilton admire Vasseur so much?
Before donning the iconic ‘Rosso Corsa’ colour in 2025, Lewis Hamilton worked with his current F1 team principal, Fred Vasseur, during his junior racing career. The Brit formed a formidable partnership with the Frenchman, winning the Formula 3 Euro Series and GP2 Series in back-to-back years under his leadership.
In terms of how much Vasseur is still the same individual he knew from 2006 and how much he has changed since then, Hamilton quipped that the now 57-year-old hasn’t changed at all in 19 years.
Furthermore, highlighting his collaborative nature, straightforward attitude, and competitive spirit, Hamilton profusely expressed his long-standing admiration for Vasseur. Alluding to his previous experience in other teams, the seven-time champion also maintained that the Frenchman prioritising the performance aspect over the monetary one sets him apart from other team principals.
“Not Fred. No, Fred still wears the same clothes and he’s exactly the same as he was. Everything’s exactly the same, generally, I would say.
“I mean, I always admired him heavily when I was in the lower categories. Just the way he worked with the team. He’s a straight shooter, clearly a massive competitor.
“Like, I came from a couple of different teams that they’re focused on where they spent their money on other areas and he was all about aerodynamics and performance. And that’s what he’s all about today. He’s just all about car performance, which I think is a strength of his.”
