Lewis Hamilton has launched an impassioned defence of Frederic Vasseur as Ferrari’s team principal, suggesting that instead of focusing on the Frenchman, the team should look at other structural changes.
Hamilton’s comments came two days after Ferrari held an unusual media briefing for journalists. During the briefing, a spokesperson stated that the company’s management retained “full confidence” in Vasseur’s leadership. This move was made to address growing speculation regarding his position as team principal following a run of five races without a podium.
Speaking ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Hamilton welcomed the team’s public show of support, noting that external criticism and speculation were attempts to “break our spirit” that ultimately were “not succeeding.”
“I think it’s good that they did it,” Hamilton stated regarding Ferrari’s support for Vasseur.
“In terms of how it unifies the team, I think we were already unified. Honestly, outside sources seem to be so negative towards us as a team and trying to break our spirit, but they are not succeeding. So people can continue with the negative narrative, but inside, everyone is working really hard.”
“Fred is the guy to lead us. He’s doing a fantastic job. If you look at the history, how many people they’ve swapped out in that role? I feel like it’s in a better place than it’s been before, but ultimately, it’s not a one-man situation.”
“It’s lots and lots of people coming together. If you want to point fingers, point them somewhere else.”
“There are people above who are also a part of it as well. It’s a lot of people. I feel like if you take things away from this message, Fred is in his position, he’s not going anywhere, and I’m here to stay with him. I still believe fully in where we’re going.”
Vasseur is in his fourth season leading the Maranello-based team, having replaced Mattia Binotto in 2023. The 58-year-old previously worked with Hamilton in what are now the F3 and F2 series in 2005 and 2006, before they reunited when the seven-time world champion joined Ferrari from Mercedes last year.
“Fred has been fantastic working with me, and I think our relationship as a whole, even with the bosses, is in a much better place than it ever was,” Hamilton added.
“Of course, people making comments have absolutely no clue what they are talking about ultimately because they are not inside the team.”
“What’s happening in the team or how it’s structured, where the weaknesses are—obviously, I am in the team and I know all those. I’m not going to speak on them, but I’m going to continue to try and work with the people in power to make the changes.”
“Making changes is not a quick thing, and people aren’t always willing to do so very early on. But Fred has done a lot of changes I’ve asked for already, and there are more for us to do.”
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Speaking to the written media, Hamilton added: “Fred is a fantastic leader. He really is the guy to take this team in the right direction. However, there is a structure that’s been there for some time. Whether or not that needs looking at moving forwards, there are also people above Fred, and it’s not about one person.”
“Fred has led the team and helped make changes this past year. He’s helped us get to the second Constructors’ Championship. That’s a huge step from last year. The deficit we have is simply on the engine, and that’s something we don’t shy away from. We know that.”
“Every weekend we carry a 0.4s deficit, if not sometimes 0.6s, just in straight-line power, and we’re aware of it. That’s something we need to try to work on. They’re working extremely hard to try and fix that for next year.”
At Ferrari, Vasseur serves as team principal and general manager of the F1 team, ultimately reporting to the heads of the entire company, which includes the road-car division, chief executive Benedetto Vigna, and executive chairman John Elkann.
When asked about the comparison to his former team Mercedes, where Toto Wolff is the Brackley outfit’s team principal, chief executive, and one-third co-owner, Hamilton said: “There are changes that I would make, but I’m not going to talk about what those are.”
“Toto’s in a different position to Fred. The structures are a lot different. That’s all I can say on it really.”
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