Ferrari group principal Fred Vasseur has hit again at questions over Lewis Hamilton’s type through the early a part of the 2025 F1 season.
Hamilton’s robust begin to life at Ferrari continued on the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix because the seven-time world champion completed the place he certified in seventh and was 31 seconds behind teammate Charles Leclerc, who scored the group’s first podium of the 12 months.
Except for taking a powerful pole place and victory within the China dash race, in simply his second look for Ferrari, Hamilton is on a disappointing run of type.
Requested how Hamilton’s type had fallen off so ‘dramatically’, Vasseur snapped again: “It’s not dramatically. We did 5 races up to now. I do know that you just need to have the massive headlines tomorrow that ‘Fred stated this’.
“However that is f****** b******t. On the finish of the day, we’re in competitors. You could have ups and downs.
“When now we have up, we’re not world champions. When now we have down, we’re not nowhere. It is only a competitors.”
Hamilton has been convincingly outperformed by Leclerc, is seventh within the drivers’ championship, and already 68 factors behind chief Oscar Piastri, who claimed his third win in 5 races in Jeddah.
“I am undecided that you just draw the identical conclusion with Max final week when he was seventh. It’s like it’s. The competitors is tight,” Vasseur stated.
“You could have 10 vehicles and a few tenths. Take a look at Max. He gained in Japan. He completed 30 seconds behind Piastri in Bahrain, and in Saudi Arabia he was P2 and had pole place.
“We simply have to remain calm. You are able to do no matter you need. I do not need to fear for you. No less than for us as a group, now we have to work step-by-step.
“I believe it paid off final 12 months to do hundredths of seconds and hundredths of seconds and we have to maintain the identical strategy.
“I’ll by no means be the man who says we’re world champions or we’re nowhere. We’re a group. We’re struggling on the weekend. We’ve got good outcomes on the weekend. It is simply that now we have to enhance step-by-step and keep calm.”
Fred Vasseur defended Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton braced for ‘painful’ season
Hamilton described his race in Saudi Arabia as “horrible” and conceded the 2025 season is wanting “painful”.
“Nothing optimistic to take from in the present day,” Hamilton stated, “other than Charles on the rostrum, which is nice for the group.
“It was horrible, not pleasurable in any respect. I used to be simply sliding round. It is fairly unhealthy.
“I do not know the way for much longer I will battle for nevertheless it’s undoubtedly painful. Simply going to attempt to enhance from week to week.
“In the meanwhile there isn’t any repair so that is how it is going to be for the remainder or the 12 months. It may be painful.
“In qualifying it is me extracting efficiency and within the race I attempted the whole lot and the automotive simply did not need to go any faster.”
Vasseur insisted Hamilton may have Ferrari’s full help.
“I will probably be 2000 per cent behind him,” he added. “I’ll give him help and we are going to begin from tomorrow morning to attempt to discover options and causes and to work on it early within the morning.
“However actually, I’m not too apprehensive. When you have a glance on what he did in China or what he did within the race in Bahrain final week and even on the primary a part of the session on this weekend, the potential is there for certain.
“We simply have to regulate the steadiness as a result of we’re, collectively, Lewis and us, we’re scuffling with the steadiness of his automotive and [how] he’s working the tyres.
“It is a type of detrimental spot however I believe the potential of the automotive is there and we are going to attempt to clear up that.”
