Lewis Hamilton has no doubts that Fred Vasseur is the right person to lead Ferrari and continues to have the full support of the team. However, speaking at Sepang, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion went beyond simply defending the French team principal, suggesting that aspects of Ferrari’s wider management structure could still be improved.
Addressing the situation that has developed over recent weeks, Lewis Hamilton stressed that not everything at Maranello depends on Fred Vasseur because there are further levels of decision-making above the team principal. The British driver also admitted that there are changes he personally would make, although he stopped short of revealing what they are.
Lewis Hamilton gives Fred Vasseur his full backing
The subject has returned to prominence following recent speculation over Fred Vasseur’s future, which Ferrari rejected by publicly reaffirming its complete confidence in the team principal. The wider question of how authority is structured above Fred Vasseur at Ferrari has also attracted increasing attention.
“I think Fred has full support,” Lewis Hamilton made clear. He then expanded on the importance of creating the right environment around the team principal. “Structure is very important, as is stability. Ultimately, in any company it is essential that everyone is rowing in the same direction.”
According to Lewis Hamilton, there is a danger of focusing too heavily on the team principal whenever something at Ferrari does not go according to plan. The position itself has changed hands repeatedly over the years, but the Ferrari driver believes Fred Vasseur remains the right leader for the job.
“Here there often seems to be a lot of focus on one person and one role. Over the years we have seen many people change in the position Fred holds today, but he is a fantastic leader. He really is the right person to take this team in the right direction.”
Hamilton believes Ferrari’s wider structure could improve
Lewis Hamilton’s most significant comments went beyond Fred Vasseur himself. While defending the team principal, the seven-time world champion stressed that Ferrari’s Formula 1 operation is part of a broader structure that has existed for some time and may need to be reconsidered in the future.
“There is, however, a structure that has existed for a long time and we need to understand whether it will need to be improved in the future. There are also people above Fred, so it is not something that concerns just one individual.”
That point was raised again when Lewis Hamilton was asked to compare Fred Vasseur’s situation with Toto Wolff’s position at Mercedes, where the team principal is also a shareholder.
“There are changes I would make, but I’m not going to say what they are. Toto is in a different position compared to Fred and the structure is also very different.”
Lewis Hamilton nevertheless highlighted the progress Ferrari has made with Fred Vasseur at the helm, pointing to the team’s current second place in the Constructors’ Championship as an important improvement compared with the previous season.
“Fred has led the team and contributed to the changes made over the last year. He has helped us get to second place in the Constructors’ Championship and that is a big step forward compared to last season.”
Hamilton says Ferrari loses four to six tenths through power
There was also a very specific technical weakness in Lewis Hamilton’s assessment of Ferrari’s current situation. According to the British driver, the biggest deficit affecting the Scuderia is the power unit, with the loss on the straights costing several tenths of a second each weekend.
“The gap we have is simply on the engine and it is not something we are hiding from. We know that every weekend we are paying four tenths, if not sometimes six tenths, purely through power on the straights.”
The problem was particularly relevant during the recent Baku weekend, where straight-line performance and power-unit efficiency played an especially important role. Ferrari’s difficulties in Azerbaijan were also visible in the recorded Baku top-speed figures.
“We are aware of the situation and it is something we have to try to work on. They are working hard to solve the problem for next year.”
Recorded straight-line performance can also be explored through the F1 Top Speed Comparison, which allows speed references from different sessions and drivers to be compared.
Lewis Hamilton frustrated by negativity around Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton then widened the discussion to the work taking place both at Maranello and within the race team, admitting his frustration with the level of pressure that accompanies every difficult Ferrari weekend.
“For me, it is frustrating to see all this negativity. You see other people make mistakes and not much is said. If we make the same mistake, or if we are simply not perfect — and we know we are not — for some reason at Ferrari everything becomes ten times worse.”
At the same time, Lewis Hamilton acknowledged that this intense scrutiny is partly unavoidable because of Ferrari’s unique place in Formula 1.
“It is also something you have to expect because Ferrari is the most followed team and by far the most iconic.”
Hamilton explains how criticism affects Ferrari personnel
Over the years, Lewis Hamilton believes he has built a barrier between himself and much of what is written or discussed externally. However, he acknowledged that not everyone within Ferrari is able to remain unaffected by the constant criticism.
“I don’t read these things, so they have zero effect on me. But I see that they have an impact on some people in the team.”
The pressure, Lewis Hamilton explained, extends beyond the paddock and can reach the families of Ferrari employees as well.
“Every weekend they try to turn up and do the best job possible, but things do not always go perfectly. When families send you messages about the negative things they are reading, when people in the factory read all of this despite giving everything they have, sometimes it almost feels as though there is nothing you can do right.”
His advice to those inside the team is therefore to distance themselves from the external noise and concentrate on the work taking place behind closed doors.
“My message is not to read what is written. The people reporting certain things are not inside the team, they do not know what happens behind closed doors and they do not know how hard everyone is working. They are assumptions and opinions.”
Lewis Hamilton remains confident Ferrari will reach its target
Despite the technical difficulties, management scrutiny and pressure surrounding the Scuderia, Lewis Hamilton remains convinced that Ferrari is moving towards where it ultimately wants to be. He accepts, however, that the process may take longer than some around the team had hoped.
“We will simply continue to focus on doing the best job possible, regardless of what is written. We will get where we want to be. It will take more time. I knew we would not get where we wanted to be already in the second year, but I hope that, thanks to everyone’s hard work, maybe next year we can get where we deserve to be.”
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