Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur focuses on the positives in his assessment of Lewis Hamilton’s F1 Dutch GP performance rather than the 7-time Champion’s race-ending crash.
Hamilton’s race came to a sudden end on Lap 23 of the Dutch GP, when he crashed into the barriers at the exit of Turn 3.
Talking following the conclusion of the Dutch GP in a print media session, Vasseur rejected the idea that Hamilton’s crash was the result of a lack of confidence in the SF-25.
“Not really,” he said, explaining that the crash was likely a result of Hamilton taking a wider line and hitting a damp part of the track.
“I think that this one was a bit of a special one.”
“The track was a bit damp. It was during the first drizzle.
“He was a bit wider than the lap before that.
“Now we need to investigate if something happened on the car or not, but I don’t think so.”
The outcome was not expected, says Vasseur, who praised Hamilton for his reaction and overall pace shown throughout the Dutch GP weekend.
“But overall, the reaction from Lewis was good, that he was into the pace of the car and of Charles [Leclerc] from the beginning of the weekend.
“He was catching up to Russell at that stage.
“That was a good recovery after two tough races before the break.
“But for sure, the outcome is not the one expected.”
Team and drivers’ reaction to ‘worst Friday’ key to improvement
Hamilton’s pace wasn’t the only positive to take from the weekend; the team, including drivers Hamilton and Leclerc, worked hard to recover from what Vassuer describes as the “worst Fridays” Ferrari experienced in recent years.
The Ferrari team principal credited the collaboration between drivers and team for the increased performance level displayed on Saturday and during Sunday’s Dutch GP.
“Honestly, we had the worst Friday of the last three years.
“If you have a look at the pace of Friday, it was very, very difficult.
“Nothing worked at all.
“Thanks to the job done by the engineers, but also by the drivers, because they were very cooperative.
“They were pushing everybody in the right way.
“It was a very collaborative Friday evening.
“We had a very good recovery on Saturday.
“It was not enough to fight with Max, but we were not far away.
“Today [Sunday], we were in a good pace, in a good shape.
“I think it’s also thanks to the job done by Lewis [Hamilton] over the weekend, by Charles [Leclerc], that they are part of the team in good and bad moments.
“The recovery was the good phase of the weekend.”
Aside from the crash, Hamilton’s performance was good
Vasseur was also questioned about Hamilton’s rather subdued mood on Thursday, leading up to the Dutch GP.
The Frenchman pointed to previous rounds in Hungary and Spa, where Hamilton experienced difficult weekends, as a reason for Hamilton’s muted responses in media sessions.
And while Hamilton’s mistake in Lap was costly, Vasseur once more highlighted the efforts by Driver and team to recover from a difficult Friday to show stellar pace on Sunday.
“The fact that he was quiet on Thursday, I think it’s quite easy to understand that he had two tough weekends before the break.
“It was difficult for him.
“If we suffered on Friday, it was more on the car side than something else.
“They were very collaborative and pushing and trying to find solutions to recover.
“They are really part of this recovery.
“I can be more than pleased with the job done.
“The pace today from Lewis [Hamilton] was a good one. He was stuck behind Russell, but he did the job.
“He lost the car.
“Overall, on the weekend, if you don’t consider this, I think the contribution of Lewis [Hamilton] was very good.”
Hamilton can take a lot of positives from the F1 Dutch GP weekend
While the F1 Dutch GP certainly did not end the way either Ferrari or Hamilton had hoped, Vasseur believes that the seven-time champion’s attitude was more positive than it had been at previous events.
The Frenchman reckons that the progress made over the course of the weekend, as well as the strong pace and being in the fight with Russell, should provide a confidence boost ahead of Ferrari’s home GP in Monza.
“Yeah, but honestly, after we discussed after the race, I said he was, I would say, much more positive than the last four or five events.
“The fact that he was in the pace, able to fight with Russell, that we recovered from the tough Friday.
“The mood was very positive.
“For sure, he lost the car.
“But the mood was positive because I think he can take a lot of positives off the weekend and build up the confidence for Monza.”
