Lewis Hamilton has paid a significant price for his move to Ferrari, according to Autosprint journalist Stefano Tamburini, who has criticised the team’s handling of the seven-time Formula 1 world champion and questioned Fred Vasseur’s leadership. The Italian journalist believes Ferrari failed to listen to Lewis Hamilton during his difficult first season at Maranello, while his improved performances in 2026 suggest that giving the British driver greater influence has benefited the entire team.
In 2022, Stefano Tamburini published Il prezzo da pagare (The Price to Pay) through Il Foglio Letterario. The book tells 30 stories of men and women who transformed sport into a battle for civil rights, with an additional section dedicated to the personal journey of Lewis Hamilton. Four years later, its title seems equally appropriate to the seven-time world champion’s experience at Ferrari.
“He is paying a significant price too,” Stefano Tamburini observed.
Stefano Tamburini questions Fred Vasseur’s leadership at Ferrari
According to Stefano Tamburini, the first price Lewis Hamilton has paid concerns what he describes as a “kind of retroactive friendship” with Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur.
Back in 2006, Lewis Hamilton won the GP2 championship, the predecessor to Formula 2, with ART Grand Prix, the team co-founded and managed by Fred Vasseur. Twenty years later, the two have been reunited at Maranello, with the French manager now responsible for leading Ferrari’s Formula 1 operation.
However, Stefano Tamburini argues that the two situations cannot meaningfully be compared because the technical responsibilities involved are fundamentally different.
“In Formula 2, there is no development, the engines are all the same, and you only have to manage the set-up adjustments, as well as training the team to perform pit stops. Managing a Formula 1 car is something very different.”
The Italian journalist was particularly critical of Fred Vasseur’s record at Ferrari, questioning whether his leadership has produced the progress expected from the team.
“He has been there for four years now, and there has been nothing to suggest a step forward,” Stefano Tamburini argued.
His assessment adds to the wider debate surrounding Ferrari’s leadership and driver management under Fred Vasseur and John Elkann.
Why Stefano Tamburini believes Ferrari failed to listen to Lewis Hamilton
The second price, according to Stefano Tamburini, concerns the way Ferrari initially welcomed and managed Lewis Hamilton after his arrival in 2025.
The British driver joined Maranello as a seven-time world champion, bringing extensive Formula 1 experience and a record of success at the highest level. Nevertheless, his first season in red ended without a Grand Prix podium, with his only victory coming in the Sprint race in China.
For Stefano Tamburini, those difficulties raised serious questions about the extent to which Ferrari was prepared to listen to its new driver.
“The way Hamilton himself was managed was madness. They put him there and didn’t listen to him. You bring in someone who has won seven world championships; perhaps he might have some useful suggestions to offer.”
The criticism centres on the belief that Ferrari did not sufficiently value the experience of a driver who had already won multiple world championships and could potentially contribute valuable feedback to the team’s development and decision-making.
Lewis Hamilton’s 2026 Ferrari turnaround highlights the importance of his influence
The 2026 season has presented a very different picture for Lewis Hamilton.
In June, the seven-time world champion secured his first Grand Prix victory with Ferrari in Barcelona, marking an important breakthrough after the disappointments of his debut campaign with the Italian team.
Following the United States Grand Prix in Austin, where he finished fourth, Lewis Hamilton was third in the Drivers’ Championship with 241 points, just one behind George Russell.
The improvement has reinforced Stefano Tamburini’s belief that the British driver’s growing influence within Ferrari has played an important role in his resurgence.
“As soon as he started having a little influence, he also began to make a different impression,” the Italian journalist explained.
The contrast between Lewis Hamilton’s first two Ferrari seasons is particularly notable given the expectations surrounding his arrival at Maranello. His wider achievements and career milestones can also be explored through the Ferrari Formula 1 driver records and statistics.
Lewis Hamilton’s decision to retain Carlo Santi as race engineer
The situation surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer provides another example of the driver’s increasing influence over his working environment at Ferrari.
For the 2026 season, the Maranello team had recruited Cédric Michel-Grosjean from McLaren. However, Lewis Hamilton preferred to continue working with Carlo Santi, who had initially taken on the role at the beginning of the year as a temporary solution.
The British driver ultimately retained Carlo Santi as his race engineer, and it was with the Italian on the pit wall that he secured his first Ferrari Grand Prix victory in Barcelona.
The decision fits Stefano Tamburini’s broader argument that Lewis Hamilton began producing stronger results once he was able to exert greater influence over decisions affecting his performance.
At 41, Lewis Hamilton cannot afford to keep waiting for Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton turned 41 in January, making the time available for Ferrari to fully exploit his experience and abilities an increasingly important consideration.
According to Stefano Tamburini’s assessment, the seven-time world champion paid the heaviest price during his first season at Maranello, when the team failed to make sufficient use of the knowledge he had accumulated throughout his career.
His second campaign, however, tells a considerably more encouraging story. With a Grand Prix victory already secured and a prominent role in the battle for second place in the Drivers’ Championship, Lewis Hamilton has demonstrated that he can still deliver significant results for Ferrari.
For Stefano Tamburini, the contrast between the two seasons supports a straightforward conclusion: listening to Lewis Hamilton is not simply a matter of respecting his achievements. It can also benefit Ferrari’s competitiveness on the track.
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