Ferrari crew principal Frederic Vasseur has referred to as for endurance and composure from each Lewis Hamilton and the Italian aspect following the seven-time System 1 world champion’s difficult begin to life at Maranello. Talking after the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix, the Ferrari crew principal urged all events to “relax” amid the early adaptation interval Hamilton is experiencing in his swap from Mercedes.
Hamilton, who joined Ferrari after spending over a decade with Mercedes, endured a irritating qualifying session in Bahrain, managing solely ninth place on the grid. In sharp distinction, his team-mate Charles Leclerc secured a front-row begin and in the end introduced the automotive house in fourth place, underlining the early efficiency hole between the 2 Scuderia drivers.
Regardless of the setback in qualifying, Hamilton confirmed promising tempo throughout Sunday’s race. The British driver briefly moved as much as second place in the course of the opening pit-stop part and in the end completed fifth, marking his finest race consequence up to now in crimson. Whereas Hamilton has brazenly acknowledged the difficulties in adapting to Ferrari’s driving traits after 12 seasons at Mercedes, Fred Vasseur—who has identified Lewis Hamilton since his junior system days—believes the variations are delicate however impactful. He emphasised that small efficiency margins are at the moment defining Hamilton’s outcomes and burdened the significance of sustaining a level-headed strategy because the crew continues to develop.
After the dash race in China, Fred Vasseur reportedly mentioned the prize-giving ceremony with the media, reflecting on what he described as a whole catastrophe by way of how the occasion was managed. The French supervisor emphasised the necessity for a relaxed and measured strategy inside the crew, noting that Ferrari tends to expertise emotional highs and lows extra intensely than others.
Fred Vasseur identified that if the crew needs to take care of the constant mindset that has served them nicely over the previous two seasons, they need to stay composed and centered on enhancing by small margins—hundredths of a second at a time.
He acknowledged the frustration following Saturday’s qualifying session, explaining that Lewis Hamilton had been carefully matched with Charles Leclerc from FP1 by means of Q2, with solely a few tenth separating them. Nevertheless, in Q3, Lewis Hamilton’s first lap was deleted and he made an error on the second, which proved pricey. Fred Vasseur famous that for the reason that grid is decided by the ultimate lap somewhat than a median, any mistake can have vital penalties.
The Ferrari crew principal admitted there was frustration on each side— Lewis Hamilton’s and the crew’s—however was additionally fast to reward the British driver’s sturdy restoration. In line with Fred Vasseur, Lewis Hamilton delivered a strong race, climbing again to complete fifth, with a race time similar to the main vehicles. He reportedly described the efficiency as sturdy and constant, whereas additionally mentioning that in such a aggressive area, dropping simply two or three tenths in qualifying on account of a mistake can imply dropping six or seven positions on the grid.