Fred Vasseur hits back at questions over Lewis Hamilton’s Singapore strategy: “Did you ask McLaren this?”

Fred Vasseur has again defended Ferrari after facing repeated questions over Lewis Hamilton’s Singapore Grand Prix strategy, insisting that responsibility for the costly decision ultimately rested with the British driver. The Ferrari team principal became frustrated when journalists continued to examine why Lewis Hamilton remained on track during the Virtual Safety Car and eventually fell from third to sixth on ageing tyres.

The episode added another chapter to what has appeared to be an increasingly tense relationship between Fred Vasseur and some of the journalists covering Ferrari, with the French manager having previously criticised sections of the media for not being sufficiently supportive of the team and for potentially harming the atmosphere around the Scuderia.

Fred Vasseur frustrated by Lewis Hamilton Singapore strategy questions

At Marina Bay, Fred Vasseur’s frustration with the press centred on questions about Lewis Hamilton and the strategy that left him on track rather than bringing him into the pits during the Virtual Safety Car period. The Ferrari driver eventually completed the race on old tyres, with his performance dropping sharply as he fell from third place to sixth.

Lewis Hamilton later explained that Ferrari had called him into the pits under the VSC, but that he missed the pit entry before deciding to remain on track.

Fred Vasseur points to McLaren after repeated Ferrari questions

During the traditional post-race media session, several journalists continued to press Fred Vasseur on the incident in an attempt to establish whether the Ferrari pit wall had actually instructed Lewis Hamilton to stop. The repeated questioning eventually tested the team principal’s patience, prompting him to defend Ferrari strongly.

“Did you ask McLaren this many questions yesterday?” Fred Vasseur asked ironically, referring to the incident between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on the final lap of the Sprint race. “We were second and third on track and it was very clear [what happened]. We called both cars: ‘Guys, box under the VSC’, and one of the two said, ‘I prefer to stay out’. Actually, he didn’t say that, because he said, ‘I missed the pit entry’.”

The incident again highlighted how important stop timing and driver-team communication can become during neutralised periods. Ferrari’s stop patterns, tyre strategies and VSC decisions throughout the season can also be explored through the Ferrari Pit Stop & Strategy Statistics.

Vasseur clarifies Ferrari’s later radio communication

Fred Vasseur then ruled out the suggestion that Ferrari had subsequently instructed Lewis Hamilton to pit again once the Virtual Safety Car period had ended in an attempt to prevent the performance collapse of his Soft tyres.

“Was there a later communication to definitively impose the stop? We weren’t sure we could make it to the end,” Fred Vasseur explained. “Was he actually called and did he decide again not to come in? No, no, no, no. We were simply monitoring the situation.”

His explanation made Ferrari’s position clear: the team had called both cars into the pits during the Virtual Safety Car, but after Lewis Hamilton missed the entry and continued, there was no subsequent order forcing him to stop. Ferrari instead monitored whether the tyres could survive until the chequered flag.