For Scuderia Ferrari and Fred Vasseur, the early stages of the 2026 F1 season have shown promising signs of progress, particularly as Lewis Hamilton secured his first podium with the team at the Chinese GP. Alongside Charles Leclerc, Ferrari appear to be building stronger cohesion as they continue adapting to a new regulatory era.
Vasseur on Hamilton’s growing integration within Ferrari after first podium with them
Fred Vasseur highlighted in his print media session how Lewis Hamilton is now in his second season with Scuderia Ferrari. He is far more embedded in the project, both technically and personally. The seven-time World Champion was involved from the early development phase of the current car. This has helped him settle more naturally into the team environment.
“Honestly, I think it’s always much easier the second one, because you are part of the project from the beginning, he was in the simulator in the middle of ’25 when we started the project and I think he feels also a bit more involved into the project than it was one year ago when he joined the team in January, the car was there.
“He knows also a little bit more everybody, the relationship is getting better and better, it’s easier for him to deal with people and to work with everybody and step by step we have to do marginal gain because it’s like this that we close the gap.”
This growing familiarity within Ferrari has translated into improved collaboration across the garage. With teams now operating under tight performance margins, Vasseur emphasised that incremental improvements remain key to closing the gap to their rivals.
Leclerc continuing to adapt to Ferrari’s package after 2026 F1 Chinese GP weekend
On the other side of the garage, Fred Vasseur addressed the situation of Charles Leclerc and his relative early struggles. The drivers are dealing with one of the biggest regulation changes in decades.
The shift from 2025 to 2026 has forced drivers across the grid to adapt their approach. Ferrari’s car characteristics have also posed a particular challenge.
A P3, P2 and P4 across the two Grands Prix and Sprint represents a very solid start for the 28-year-old as Ferrari hold the second fastest car at present.
“Yes, but it’s always the case [adapting], I think for sure, that we have the biggest step in terms of regulation, ’25 to ’26 than the other years, and this requires probably more adaptation, changes and a different approach for the drivers, and he’s doing it. I’m not sure that basically it was fitting very well with the style, but he’s on it, he has a very good read and understanding of the situation of the car, that he’s very sharp and he will do it. Let’s see next week.”
Despite this, Fred Vasseur praised Charles Leclerc’s ability to analyse and understand the car. He is confident the Monegasque will continue to extract more performance as the season progresses. As Scuderia Ferrari push forward in 2026, the combination of Lewis Hamilton’s growing influence and Leclerc’s adaptability could prove crucial. It may define their fight at the front of the field.
