Vasseur reveals how Hamilton "is putting a positive energy into the team"

F1 Grand Prix, GP Singapore, Marina Bay Street Circuit

On the back of Lewis Hamilton's tough maiden season with Ferrari, the Scuderia's team boss Fred Vasseur reveled how the seven-time world champion "is putting a positive energy into the team."

Lewis Hamilton’s first season in Ferrari colours was always destined to attract intense scrutiny. His decision to leave Mercedes after 12 record‑breaking years and join the Scuderia on a multi‑year deal worth a reported £41 million per season instantly became one of the most dramatic driver transfers in Formula One history.

Ferrari signed the seven‑time world champion to replace Carlos Sainz Jr. alongside Charles Leclerc from 2025 onward, and Hamilton described the move as nothing short of a “childhood dream.”

The romanticism of the switch, however, soon collided with the realities of Formula One’s ground‑effect era. Hamilton’s discomfort with this generation of cars — a challenge that had already defined his final seasons at Mercedes — persisted throughout his debut campaign in Maranello.

The SF‑25 proved unpredictable and difficult to master, and Hamilton repeatedly admitted that he felt less at ease with the car than Leclerc did. He described its behaviour as “alien” compared to the machinery he had spent more than a decade mastering.

Hamilton’s year was marked by inconsistency, frustration, and occasional flashes of competitiveness that never developed into sustained momentum. His maiden sprint victory for Ferrari at the Chinese Grand Prix briefly suggested a turning point, but the optimism evaporated when he was disqualified from the main race for a technical infringement.

The closing phase of the season proved particularly bruising. Hamilton suffered three consecutive Q1 eliminations from Las Vegas to Abu Dhabi — the first such sequence of his career.

Ferrari’s own uneven form compounded the challenge, and by the end of the season Hamilton finished sixth in the championship, 86 points behind Leclerc. For the first time in his Formula One career, he completed a full campaign without a single podium finish.

Despite the difficulties, Hamilton approached the final race of the season with a sense of resolve. He said he was “pleased” with his performance in Abu Dhabi, highlighting his progress through the field and the execution of a well‑timed two‑stop strategy.

He expressed gratitude toward the team for its effort and emphasised the kindness and hard work he had experienced within Ferrari during a challenging year. Hamilton reiterated his belief that better days lie ahead and that the foundations for improvement are already being laid.

As the winter break approached, Hamilton made it clear that he intended to disconnect completely from the outside world. He explained that he planned to switch off his phone, avoid communication, and take time to recover mentally after a demanding season.

The Briton described the constant cycle of commitments — photoshoots, media duties, sponsor obligations — as exhausting, and said he wanted to step away from the “matrix” for a period of genuine rest.

Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur offered strong public support for Hamilton, particularly during the difficult final stretch of the season. Speaking to Autosport.com, Vasseur said he expected a driver to be “mega upset” after suffering three consecutive Q1 exits, and he dismissed the idea that a calm, media‑friendly façade would be preferable.

“When you are out in Q1, I hope the driver is mega upset with himself and with the team. I'm not sure that you, journalist, you prefer to have someone going to the TV pen saying, ‘no, everything is normal, blah, blah, blah’ — all the usual bullshit.”

He stressed that what mattered most was Hamilton’s commitment to returning to the debriefs, engaging with the engineers, and working constructively to find solutions.

“I respect perfectly the position of the drivers when they have this attitude. Then the most important for me is also to have someone collaborating with the team.”

Vasseur praised Hamilton for maintaining that approach even during the toughest moments of the season.

“It's much better to have someone not speaking in the TV pen and coming back to the debriefing, speaking with the engineers, trying to find solutions and it's the attitude that Lewis had even when he had a tough moment in the last part of the season and this is putting a positive energy into the team.”