Fred Vasseur explains difference between "the machine" Lewis Hamilton and other F1 drivers

Fred Vasseur explains difference between “the machine” Lewis Hamilton and other F1 drivers. Fred Vasseur reflects on how the .

“Lewis is organized like a company”
After working together in GP2 in 2006, Lewis Hamilton and Frederic Vasseur are ready to reunite nearly twenty years later next year, this time at Scuderia Ferrari.

A pairing that has already proven capable of producing great results, with the manager from France, who was team principal at ART Grand Prix at the time, helping the young Lewis make his mark in the lower categories to the point where Ron Dennis and McLaren decided to bet heavily on him the following Formula 1 season. The rest, as we well know and as the numbers show, is history.

In 2025, however, Frederic Vasseur and Lewis Hamilton are ready to write another unforgettable chapter in Formula 1, with the seven-time world champion determined to bring the title back to Maranello and claim an eighth crown, which would make him the most successful driver of all time on his own.

In an interview with The Times, the Frenchman explained how Hamilton will bring value to Ferrari’s new phase next season: “Lewis is a machine. The main difference between him and most of the grid – and I don’t want to make a personal comparison – is that he is organized like a company. In his mind, in his approach, he knows what he wants to do and when he wants to do it. He is able to separate every single pillar of the business, and for us, for Ferrari, that will be useful.” – the Ferrari team principal pointed out.

But how will the team change internally, considering the coexistence with another superstar like Charles Leclerc, on whom the Scuderia continues to place its utmost trust?

“Nothing will change,” Frederic Vasseur replied, “except that Lewis will come with his experience, his maturity, and will help the team do a better job because he is very demanding. We have enough experience to separate these two worlds (driver life and private life, editor’s note).

“It’s completely different to manage someone you knew before fame. I’ve only had Charles in that sense. I’ve known Charles since the go-kart days with ART in 2012. Now I’ve known him for 12, 13 years. I met Lewis when he wasn’t a champion, and we built a different relationship, I believe. That will be useful to me.” – Frederic Vasseur concluded.