Fred Vasseur issues firm directive to Ferrari amid early Lewis Hamilton setbacks. Fred Vasseur Steers Ferrari Through Hamilton’s Early Challenges with Direct Order.

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has called for patience and composure from both Lewis Hamilton and the Italian side following the seven-time Formula 1 world champion’s challenging start to life at Maranello. Speaking after the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix, the Ferrari team principal urged all parties to “calm down” amid the early adaptation period Hamilton is experiencing in his switch from Mercedes.

Hamilton, who joined Ferrari after spending over a decade with Mercedes, endured a frustrating qualifying session in Bahrain, managing only ninth place on the grid. In sharp contrast, his team-mate Charles Leclerc secured a front-row start and ultimately brought the car home in fourth position, underlining the early performance gap between the two Scuderia drivers.

Despite the setback in qualifying, Hamilton showed promising pace during Sunday’s race. The British driver briefly moved up to second place during the opening pit-stop phase and ultimately finished fifth, marking his best race result so far in red. While Hamilton has openly acknowledged the difficulties in adapting to Ferrari’s driving characteristics after 12 seasons at Mercedes, Fred Vasseur—who has known Lewis Hamilton since his junior formula days—believes the differences are subtle but impactful. He emphasized that small performance margins are currently defining Hamilton’s results and stressed the importance of maintaining a level-headed approach as the team continues to develop.

After the sprint race in China, Fred Vasseur reportedly discussed the prize-giving ceremony with the media, reflecting on what he described as a complete disaster in terms of how the event was managed. The French manager emphasized the need for a calm and measured approach within the team, noting that Ferrari tends to experience emotional highs and lows more intensely than others.

Fred Vasseur pointed out that if the team wants to maintain the consistent mindset that has served them well over the past two seasons, they must remain composed and focused on improving by small margins—hundredths of a second at a time.

He acknowledged the frustration following Saturday’s qualifying session, explaining that Lewis Hamilton had been closely matched with Charles Leclerc from FP1 through Q2, with only about a tenth separating them. However, in Q3, Lewis Hamilton’s first lap was deleted and he made an error on the second, which proved costly. Fred Vasseur noted that since the grid is determined by the final lap rather than an average, any mistake can have significant consequences.

The Ferrari team principal admitted there was frustration on both sides— Lewis Hamilton’s and the team’s—but was also quick to praise the British driver’s strong recovery. According to Fred Vasseur, Lewis Hamilton delivered a solid race, climbing back to finish fifth, with a race time comparable to the leading cars. He reportedly described the performance as strong and consistent, while also pointing out that in such a competitive field, losing just two or three tenths in qualifying due to a mistake can mean dropping six or seven positions on the grid.