Ferrari boss explodes in anger amid criticisms over Lewis Hamilton's form
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has passionately defended Lewis Hamilton's recent form, particularly following his disappointing seventh-place finish at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where teammate Charles Leclerc secured a podium. Amidst mounting criticism of the seven-time world champion's pace this season, Vasseur vehemently dismissed the scrutiny as "f***ing bulls***," emphasizing the competitive nature of F1 with its inevitable ups and downs, while assuring his full support for Hamilton.
Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur didn't hold back when addressing concerns over Sir Lewis Hamilton's performance, particularly following the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where the F1 icon finished seventh, significantly off the pace of the leaders and his teammate. Vasseur defended Hamilton with a strong retort, labelling the criticism as 'f***ing bulls***'.
In Jeddah, Hamilton started and finished in the same seventh position, crossing the line a substantial 39 seconds behind the race winner. This outcome was in stark contrast to Charles Leclerc, who drove the same SF-25 car to a strong third-place finish.
Since his anticipated transfer to Ferrari over the winter break, the Briton has seemingly struggled to consistently find pace, currently sitting seventh in the championship standings after five rounds, despite a win in the China sprint race.
Read More ›
F1 standings after Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 99pts
- Lando Norris (McLaren) – 89pts
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 87pts
- George Russell (Mercedes) – 73pts
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 47pts
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 38pts
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 31pts
- Alex Albon (Williams) – 31pts
Hamilton himself was candid about his struggles post-race in Saudi Arabia, admitting to Sky Sports that there wasn't "one second" where he felt comfortable with the car. He offered a rather bleak prediction for the immediate future: "Clearly the car is capable of being P3, so… Charles did a great job today, so I can’t blame the car. I think I’ll struggle also in Miami... At the moment there’s no fix. So… this is how it’s going to be for the rest of the year. It’s going to be painful."
However, when questioned about a perceived 'dramatic' dip in his star driver's performance, Vasseur passionately jumped to Hamilton's defence. Dismissing the notion of a 'dramatic' drop after just five races, the Frenchman highlighted that Formula 1 involves ups and downs:
“Dramatically?! We did five races so far, I know that you won’t have the big headlines tomorrow that Fred said this… but this is f***ing bulls***.”
Vasseur expressed absolute commitment to supporting Hamilton, stating, "I will be 2000 per cent behind him and I will give him support here and we will start from tomorrow morning to try to find solutions." He insisted he wasn't overly worried, pointing to Hamilton's potential shown in the China sprint, the Bahrain race, and earlier in the Jeddah weekend. Vasseur also viewed Hamilton's evident disappointment at finishing seventh as a positive sign, indicating his fierce competitive spirit remains intact.
Despite Hamilton's personal prediction of continued challenges, there is a short break before the next event, allowing preparation time for the Miami Grand Prix scheduled for May 4th.
