Last Updated on April 15 2025, 9:40 pm
Ferrari turmoil or normal growing pains? Vasseur on the Hamilton effect – Since Lewis Hamilton’s bombshell announcement that he would be joining Ferrari in 2025, the legendary Italian team has been at the centre of Formula One’s attention like never before. Hamilton’s every move in red has been dissected, debated and dramatised both inside and outside the paddock. And as the first races of the season unfold, the question naturally arises: has Hamilton’s arrival unsettled the Scuderia, or is this simply the growing pain of a high-profile transition?
Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur, always quick with a dry joke and even quicker with pragmatism, insists that the team remains grounded despite the hype. After all, pressure is nothing new in Maranello and Hamilton, with seven world titles under his belt, didn’t bring the spotlight with him. He simply turned it up to full beam.
A Latin flair for drama? Vasseur jokes under pressure
After a rollercoaster weekend that included a sprint win for Hamilton in Shanghai followed by a lacklustre race performance on Sunday, Vasseur downplayed the volatility of media and fan reaction with a wry smile.
“Well, we’re Latinos,” he joked after the Bahrain season opener.
“Which means I expected nothing less after China.”
Indeed, Hamilton was hailed as a conquering hero after his sprint triumph, only to come under intense scrutiny the following day when his Sunday performance didn’t live up to expectations. According to Vasseur, this reactionary seesaw is nothing new for Ferrari, a team defined as much by emotion as by engineering.
“To be honest, we just have to keep a cool head when it comes to team management,” he said. Vasseur, 56, is no stranger to the turbulence of F1, having spent decades navigating its ups and downs.
“It goes up and down like all the other teams. For us, the ups are perhaps a little higher and the downs a little lower.”
What he’s hinting at is clear: Hamilton’s arrival hasn’t caused chaos – it’s just intensified Ferrari’s usual melodrama.
The Hamilton factor: Pressure or progress?
There is no denying that Hamilton’s presence has raised the bar within Ferrari. From engineering to media management to race strategy, everything has had to improve. Vasseur admits that the Briton’s inclusion in the team has added to the expectations that already shadow every scarlet car on the grid.
But rather than seeing this as a destabilising force, the Frenchman sees it as an opportunity with his positive spin.
“That’s why it’s all the more important to maintain a consistent approach, which we’ve done well over the last two years,” he explained.
Referring to the foundations laid before Hamilton’s arrival, Vasseur urges his squad to remain calm and focus on incremental improvement.
“Stay calm and try to improve one tenth of a second at a time. I’m convinced we’ll do a good job again this year.”
Ferrari’s current car, built under the soon-to-be-replaced regulations, presents an additional complexity. The field has tightened, with only tenths separating the front runners from the midfielders, making the margin for error razor thin. In such a scenario, even small missteps can have outsized consequences – something Hamilton experienced first-hand in Bahrain.
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A weekend of contrasts: Hamilton’s Bahrain story
Looking back on the weekend in Bahrain, Vasseur is quick to put things into perspective. From first practice to Q2, Hamilton’s pace was consistent, dancing around Charles Leclerc’s times and showing competitiveness. But a combination of bad luck and small mistakes in Q3 saw the seven-time world champion qualify in ninth place, a frustrating result after a weekend full of promise.
“If you look at the whole weekend – from FP1 to Q2 – he was always just a few tenths behind Charles, sometimes ahead, sometimes behind,” said Vasseur.
“Then comes Q3: his first lap is deleted, in the second he makes a mistake – and you pay the price”.
It’s precisely this scenario that illustrates the sensitivity of performance in today’s F1, where small mistakes are magnified. But for Vasseur, Hamilton’s frustration was not a red flag – it was a green light.
“I actually like the fact that Lewis was a bit disappointed last night,” he said, referring to Hamilton’s reaction after qualifying.
“If a driver comes back from P10 and just says, ‘Oh, what a shame’, that wouldn’t be a good sign. But he was right to be frustrated because he was much better all weekend.”
This emotional involvement, Vasseur believes, is not a sign of unrest but of commitment.
“I really appreciated Lewis’ reaction yesterday. I tried to push him a little bit – and today he was in top form, really strong”.
Indeed, Hamilton’s pace during Sunday’s Grand Prix impressed the Ferrari pit wall. Vasseur felt that Hamilton was almost on a par with the top three for much of the race – proof that, despite Saturday’s mishap, the underlying performance is there.
“Now we have to start next week exactly where we left off and keep working – with the aim of winning together,” Vasseur stressed.
Set-up battles and the mystery of tyre behaviour
As for whether Hamilton is still struggling with the rear stability of the Ferrari – an issue that plagued him at times during his last few years with Mercedes – Vasseur is careful not to oversimplify. While some have speculated that the Ferrari’s rear behaviour at high speeds is poorly suited to Hamilton’s driving style, the team boss disagrees with that narrow interpretation.
“No, I don’t want to put the blame solely on the stability of the rear,” he replied when asked.
“What is true is that the balance of the car is very sensitive at the moment, especially because of the behaviour of the tyres. Depending on the conditions, their characteristics change significantly and so does the handling.”
It’s not just a Ferrari problem, he insists. Mercedes and Red Bull are also struggling with tyre-related inconsistencies, although McLaren seem to have a better grasp of their car’s window. This unpredictable behaviour is a collective challenge that transcends individual setups or driving styles.
“It’s obviously frustrating for the drivers when the car is handling well at the end of the second session, but suddenly not at the start of the third,” said Vasseur.
“But that’s where we have to work together: It’s not just the rider, it’s not just the team – it’s teamwork”.
A season of transition, not turmoil
So has there been any turmoil at Ferrari since Hamilton’s arrival? Not at all, according to Vasseur. What we’re experiencing is a period of intense scrutiny and heightened expectations – natural consequences when a global megastar joins the sport’s most famous team.
From Hamilton’s perspective, adapting to a new team after more than a decade with Mercedes was never going to be seamless. From Ferrari’s perspective, integrating a world champion with a unique driving style and enormous public profile is a learning curve. But none of this suggests instability.
If anything, Vasseur’s steady hand and calm philosophy may prove crucial in guiding Ferrari through the early storm. By focusing on detail, consistency and open communication, he is laying the foundations for long-term success, even as the spotlight burns brighter than ever.
As the season progresses, it’s clear that Ferrari are not in disarray. They’re evolving. And with Hamilton already showing flashes of brilliance, the Scuderia’s future may yet be written in bold, scarlet letters – but not without some growing pains first.
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Formula One is heading to its second weekend of the year in the middle east as the teams make the short hop from Bahrain to the shores of the Red Sea and the city of Jeddah. It is the second largest city in Saudi Arabia and the commercial centre of the oil rich country.
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With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
I think Saudi Grand Prix will proof a lot of doubts regarding Hamilton
All this Media hype and criticism is disgusting and just pure Press sensationalism. Please now leave Lewis alone to ‘bed into’ his new team gradually as a normal but nevertheless exceptionally talented employee and racing-driver deserves.
After all, he is just a normal and sensitive Human-being, but also one who has shown much sporting prowess and sportsmanship – unlike certain other Championship-winning drivers on the current F1 Grid!
You mean the Lewis that informed after Max’s health, minutes after torpedoing him into the barriers? That sportsman Lewis? The Lewis that can not drive a car when he thinks the chair is a cm misplaced? Just to make sure we’re on the same page here.