Fred Vasseur tells Lewis Hamilton to cool off after “worst season ever” rant in Las Vegas. Frédéric Vasseur firmly believes hot-headed post-race comments should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Another race, another set of controversial comments from Lewis Hamilton about Ferrari: this time, Frédéric Vasseur steps in after the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Ferrari struggled badly in Las Vegas, yet the comments to the media painted two completely different pictures. Lewis Hamilton spoke of his “worst season ever,” while Fred Vasseur was quick to push back. The seven-time World Champion finished eighth, behind Nico Hülkenberg, after starting all the way down in twentieth position. His disastrous qualifying session clearly compromised his Sunday, and according to the team principal, it fully explains the difficulties he experienced during the race.

On the bright lights of Sin City, the true winners were two other names: Max Verstappen, who recovered twenty-five points on Lando Norris thanks to the double disqualification of the McLaren cars, and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who was knocked out in Q1 but still climbed onto the podium. Two outstanding and error-free performances that now put real pressure on both Woking—who saw Verstappen cut the gap in the drivers’ standings in half—and Maranello.

Ferrari now finds itself facing a massive 53-point deficit to Mercedes in the fight for second place in the Constructors’ standings. A bitter outcome considering the confident statements made in Interlagos, which made it clear that securing P2 was the key target the Prancing Horse must aim for. As if that were not enough, the uncomfortable post-race “contradictions” returned once again in front of the media microphones.

Fred Vasseur responds to Hamilton: is the Ferrari competitive?

While the British driver spoke at the end of the race about the “worst season ever” and a car that “cannot improve,” the team principal from Maranello tried to cool the situation down. “I think the main issue was qualifying,” he explained to journalists, as reported by The Race. “When you start from the last position on the grid, obviously the race becomes much more difficult.”

Fred Vasseur added: “But I think Lewis also had a good first stint on the hard tyres. We struggled more once we fitted the mediums.” For Frédéric Vasseur, it is essential not to overreact to post-race emotions. “We need to calm down; getting out of the car and giving the first comments always means carrying too much emotion with you. We will discuss everything after our internal meetings.” – the French manager concluded at the end of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.