Lewis Hamilton has backed Fred Vasseur and urged Ferrari personnel to ignore the constant stream of outside criticism surrounding the team, explaining that negative headlines can have a real effect on the people working both at the circuit and back at the Maranello factory.
The seven-time world champion’s comments came after the Malaysian weekend, where his position appeared increasingly aligned with that of the Ferrari team principal following an earlier period of tension. Fred Vasseur had already expressed frustration with sections of the media, particularly the Italian press, during an interview with Canal+ at Sepang.
Lewis Hamilton backs Fred Vasseur over Ferrari criticism
According to RacingNews365, Lewis Hamilton explained after the Grand Prix that he personally avoids reading much of what is written about him and Ferrari, meaning the coverage has little direct effect on him. However, he acknowledged that the situation is very different for many other members of the team.
“For me, I don’t read all that stuff, so it doesn’t have any effect on me. But obviously, when you walk into a room and you see them, then it’s clear how it affects individual members of the team,” Lewis Hamilton explained.
The British driver stressed that Ferrari personnel arrive at every race weekend trying to perform at the highest possible level, even though that effort does not always translate into the results they want.
“They’re trying every weekend to turn up at the track and do the best job possible, and they don’t always get it right. When your family is messaging you about what they read in the newspapers, about all the negative things that are being said, there’s nothing you can do. The people at the factory read all those things and it seems like there’s nothing they’re doing right, even though they’re giving everything.”
Lewis Hamilton urges Ferrari staff not to read negative coverage
The 41-year-old then delivered a direct message to those working within the Scuderia, urging them not to become distracted by reports written by people outside the organisation. His comments reinforce the support he has recently shown towards Fred Vasseur and the work being carried out behind the scenes at Ferrari.
“The message I want to give is don’t read anything that is being written, because the fact is none of those people writing those articles actually have the slightest idea what they’re talking about because they’re not part of the team,” Lewis Hamilton added. “They don’t know what goes on behind closed doors. They don’t know how hard everyone is working.”
He argued that much of the criticism surrounding Ferrari is based on assumptions and opinions rather than first-hand knowledge of how the team operates internally, describing that situation as frustrating.
“It’s all based on assumptions and opinions, and it’s just frustrating to see. What we’re going to do is continue trying to focus on doing the best job possible, regardless of what is written. We’ll get to where we want to get to.”
The message follows a period in which Lewis Hamilton has increasingly defended Ferrari’s internal work and Fred Vasseur’s position, while attempting to keep the team focused on its longer-term objectives rather than outside speculation.
Lewis Hamilton looks towards Ferrari’s next step
Lewis Hamilton also acknowledged that Ferrari is not yet where he hoped it would be during his second season with the team. However, he expressed confidence that the work being completed now could eventually move the Scuderia closer to its target.
“I knew that in the second year we wouldn’t be where we wanted to be, but I hope that, with everyone’s hard work, maybe next year we can get to where we want to be,” Lewis Hamilton concluded.
That outlook is consistent with his recent assessment of Ferrari’s technical situation. The seven-time world champion has argued that the team has built strong foundations and introduced innovative solutions, while also acknowledging that Ferrari still has a power deficit it must address.
For Hamilton, the immediate priority is therefore to prevent external criticism from becoming another source of instability inside Maranello. Results remain the ultimate measure of Ferrari’s progress, but his message is that the people working towards those results should concentrate on what is happening within the team rather than allowing outside commentary to shape their confidence or focus.
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