Lewis Hamilton: Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur says it wasn't 'difficult' for seven-time world champion to join him

Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur says it was “not difficult at all” to convince Lewis Hamilton to join the team from 2025 and is not worried about the seven-time champion's troubled qualifying form in the his last season at Mercedes.

Vasseur also said that the prospect of a competitive team duel between Hamilton and Charles Leclerc would be good for the team in the end as they seek to return to world title glory.

The Frenchman was speaking at Ferrari's Maranello headquarters at the traditional Christmas media lunch, just weeks before Hamilton formally joins the team in a move first revealed in February.

While the timing of the big switch came out of the blue, Vasseur – who was Hamilton's team boss in the junior divisions in the mid-2000s – admitted that in the end it had been easy to take signed the 39-year-old.

“In 2023 we won more races than Mercedes, and the start of the season was also good, so it was not too difficult to believe that Ferrari would be a good project,” said Vasseur.

“And I think he had the project of driving for Ferrari in his mind for at least 22 years, or 23 years, because we were talking about this in 2004.

“It meant it wasn't too difficult.

“I think sometimes it's a coincidence, or all the planets align, that it's on the market and Ferrari has a seat, and so on.

“But the communication was easy. We started discussing a year ago, and it wasn't hard to believe, at all.”

Vasseur 'never, never, never mind' with Hamilton form

While the Briton arrives at Italy's effective national team as the most successful driver in F1 history, Hamilton – who turns 40 on January 7 – saw his final year at Mercedes marred by unusually poor form in a certificate.

Hamilton even suggested at the season finale in Qatar that he was “definitely not fast anymore” after finishing seventh for the Sprint while team-mate George Russell made the series face

But when asked what he made of those comments, Vasseur pointed to Hamilton's charge from 16th on the grid to fourth at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as evidence of his new driver's relentless pace.

“Ask Russell the question on Sunday,” Vasseur said in reference to Hamilton passing his teammate on the final lap of the season.

“I think he had a tough moment in the qualy, but also I don't think the Abu Dhabi qualy, for example, was linked to Lewis's performance.

“He had really good races in Vegas and in Abu Dhabi. And I was never – really, never, never – worried about this situation. This situation, and I don't criticize Lewis or Mercedes, but this situation is not easy And I understand that if it doesn't go well, you can suffer in this relationship.

“He wasn't very good mentally, but he was clear in Brazil about this, for example. But he also did very well in the last couple of events, so I'm not worried at all.”

“Leclerc and Hamilton have a lot of respect for each other”

Since taking charge of Ferrari at the start of 2023, Vasseur has been clear in implementing an approach where neither Leclerc nor his partner Carlos Sainz have been prioritized.

The Frenchman insists he will try to maintain the same balance with his new driver pair, insisting the competitive battle between Leclerc and Sainz has been a key factor in the team's overall progress .

In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports NewsVasseur said: “I prefer to fight for one or two than for 19-20, this is clear!

“I think it's also part of performance. Clearly, the last two years I let them race on the track and it was to the benefit of the team because the statement we created like this was part of recovery when we had hard times.

“They (Leclerc and Sainz) had a lot of respect between them.”

Hamilton and Leclerc have shared a respectful relationship since the Monegasque joined the grid in 2018, and Vasseur is confident he can continue at Ferrari.

He said: “Charles Lewis, I'm not particularly worried about this. They have a lot of respect for each other, they know each other, they've been talking about this for months now.”

When does Hamilton first drive a Ferrari?

While Hamilton won't get to drive the 2025 Ferrari challengerfront-end in next month's pre-season test in Bahrain from February 26-28, when the Brit takes to the track in an older model. of the car.

Vasseur said the unpredictable winter weather at Ferrari's private Fiorano circuit means he can't give a firm date, but what he expects will be an “emotional” debut in red for Hamilton sometime in January.

“Maybe yes but we depend on the weather, it's not easy in January,” said Vasseur.

“It's true that he's very emotional because I think he's had this moment in his mind for maybe 20 years. That means he's going to be emotional – but he's got to be emotional for one lap and then be targeted!”

Vasseur said that Ferrari does not plan to organize any special media events to present Hamilton as a Ferrari driver, with the team boss believing that the official F1 season is launched on February 18, and Ferrari's own announcement a day after that enough.

“We will have the first test days with TPC (Testing Of Previous Cars) and Pirelli and then launch the championship first (at the O2) on the 18th. (of February), then launch the car on the 19th and then we will go straight to Bahrain and it will be a tough stretch to Melbourne.

“But it is true that it is a short preparation because we have something like four weeks at the factory before the first event, but it is what it is.”

Watch all 24 race weekends from the 2025 Formula 1 season live on Sky Sports F1, starting with the Australian GP on March 14-16. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime

Source link