Ex-driver warns: “Fred Vasseur could lose his Ferrari job over Lewis Hamilton"

Ex-driver warns: “Fred Vasseur could lose his Ferrari job over Lewis Hamilton”. Former F1 driver Derek Daly believes Fred Vasseur’s decision to replace Carlos Sainz with Lewis Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton, Fred Vasseur, Ferrari 2025 F1

Lewis Hamilton’s first season at Ferrari is falling below expectations, and many are starting to wonder if it would have been wiser to keep Carlos Sainz. The debate over whether Ferrari is better off with seven-time world champion Hamilton or with the Spanish driver remains alive, almost a year after the Briton joined the Maranello team.The reality is clear: the SF-25 is not a car capable of fighting for the world championship. Ferrari’s podiums this year can be counted on one hand, and aside from Hamilton’s consolation Sprint win in China, there has been no sign of real victories.

On top of that come the frustrations of the drivers themselves. Charles Leclerc is trying to cover the cracks, while Hamilton has struggled to extract the car’s potential. At this stage of the season, many are asking whether Fred Vasseur’s gamble on signing the British star was too risky.

Former F1 driver Derek Daly has added his voice to those suggesting Fred Vasseur’s position could be in jeopardy. Speaking exclusively to RacingNews365, he declared: “Hamilton’s move to Ferrari could inevitably cost Fred Vasseur his job.”

Daly continued: “Lewis Hamilton was one of the most naturally gifted drivers the world has ever seen. But I believe his best days are behind him. Psychologically, you simply cannot have the instincts and reactions you had at twenty years old. That’s life. That’s human nature. Hamilton had access to those skills in the past.”

Describing Ferrari’s move as driven more by “marketing” than by pure “competitiveness,” Daly argued that both the team and Hamilton are struggling and “the situation will not improve.” According to the Irishman, difficult times lie ahead for Hamilton, and “the best thing he could do is accept it, step away, and focus on the next chapter of his career.”

Like many other figures within Formula 1, Daly believes Ferrari should already be considering a younger driver to succeed Sir Lewis Hamilton. Speculation about Fred Vasseur’s future has circulated in recent months, though a contract renewal seemed to silence some of the doubts. The Frenchman played a central role in bringing Hamilton to Maranello, opting to replace Carlos Sainz after four seasons with the team.

The Leclerc-Sainz partnership

According to Daly, Ferrari made a serious mistake by breaking up the pairing, claiming that Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz complemented each other perfectly as teammates.

“When Leclerc was paired with Sainz, the team operated at a high level for years. Ideally, you want each driver to provide different layers of feedback to the engineers. Leclerc is quick, instinctive, a driver who pushes the car to the absolute limit, but I am not convinced his feedback really helps the engineers.” That analytical role, Daly insisted, belonged to Sainz. “He is more like an engineer, a leader when it comes to feedback. When you had them both at Ferrari, you covered all bases.”

He added: “Charles Leclerc was so fast that he pushed Sainz, and Sainz was so strong in helping to develop the car that together they formed a great combination.” Daly believes that with the Spaniard’s departure, Ferrari lost this crucial added value. While acknowledging the raw speed and competitiveness of both Leclerc and Hamilton, Daly concluded that the team is now missing someone who can guide the engineers in development—“the exact value that Sainz once brought to Ferrari.”