Ferrari boss answers whether Lewis Hamilton could have “done more”

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur was grilled about whether he is “satisfied” with what Lewis Hamilton has achieved so far.

Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc have endured a below-par start to the F1 2025 season, not yet matching the race-winning pace of the McLarens.

But a major floor upgrade a week ago in Bahrain brought Ferrari’s best result of a tepid season so far, and three further updates for this weekend’s F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix are cause for optimism.

Leclerc was fourth, Hamilton 13th, in FP2 at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Friday, a session topped by the McLarens.

Vasseur was asked if he’s “satisfied” or if Hamilton could have “done more” in his opening races for Ferrari since joining from Mercedes.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s Lewis, Charles, or Carlos Sainz last year – we’re always trying to do the best for the drivers and to find a good balance in the car for them,” Vasseur responded in Saudi Arabia.

“We’re pushing on both cars exactly the same way. I think you were all a bit more enthusiastic on Saturday evening in China – speaking about the prize-giving ceremony and all that – and we have to calm down a little bit.

“Now, it’s true that we have a new car. It’s not a carryover from last year, and we’re probably struggling a bit more to find the right balance and the right setup. But this is the life of every team on the grid.

“Sometimes for one tenth, you can feel the balance is not a good one at all or not that bad. So let’s be focused, I’m speaking for us, on the next and the next races.

“The very positive point is we’re working as a team. The two drivers are pushing in the same direction. We have a good atmosphere in the team, and this will help us come back.”

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have 'their own approach'

Vasseur said about Hamilton and Leclerc: “Similar? You don't have two drivers with the same approach.

“They're competitors. They’re both champions. They have their own DNA, their own approach, and they want to get the best.

“What is positive for us is that they're pushing each other, and we need to get the best from them. But their approach is the approach of competitors.”

While Leclerc has won grand prix for Ferrari before, notably at his home race in Monaco last year, Hamilton is bringing a completely fresh pair of eyes to the team.

Martin Brundle has even speculated whether it is easier for a rookie to learn a Formula 1 car than an experienced driver to swap one car for another.

Vasseur said about Hamilton: “He's coming with his own experience – 20 years in F1, different teams, almost ten years at McLaren, 12 years at Mercedes. It’s always good to have someone joining the team with that kind of experience, this kind of vision to help us improve.

“We have four teams fighting for the win today – perhaps five or six – but four teams with different structures, different people different, management. And yet, we’re all able to put four cars in one tenth.

“That means it's not that someone is right or wrong. It's that we have to try to understand what others are doing and try to get the best from them also. We're in this mode today.”

Lewis Hamilton has 'added value' for Ferrari

Vasseur insisted that Hamilton and Leclerc have taught each other equally, from their differing perspectives.

“I’ve had a couple of teammates – two drivers – in my life in a team, and you always have positive collaboration,” he said.

“They always learn from each other on both sides. For sure, Charles is more used to the team – that’s no secret and it’s obvious.

“But Lewis, with his own experience, is coming with huge added value for us and for Charles. He’s helping Charles too. It’s going both ways, and it’s very positive for us.”

Rare glimpses of Ferrari’s pace in 2025 have largely been restricted to Hamilton’s sprint race win in China, and Leclerc’s qualifying in Bahrain. Ferrari also had the fastest pitstop a week ago in Bahrain.

“The key, I think, is the same for everybody – perhaps except McLaren because they are a step ahead – but it's quite difficult to put everything together,” Vasseur said.

“The tyres are very sensitive, and as soon as you make a mistake, you are doing a step back. We're in a pack where on the grid, you told me that qualifying was the best one for Charles, but if you look behind, with four hundredths more, you're P6 or P7.

“That means we have to stay calm, and we have to stay calm on the conclusions. I think it's true for us, but it's true for everybody.

“If you look at Max, for example, he was flying in Japan, and the weekend after, he was struggling. Today in F1, the pack is so tight that for small mistakes, you can lose five or six positions on the grid.”

Ferrari insist 'ingredients' for F1 joy exist

Vasseur insisted: “Ingredients are all there, but now it's like cooking, and you have to put the ingredients together at the right stage.

“Honestly, I don't have the feeling that we’ve extracted the best from the car so far, or perhaps on some occasions, some sessions. But I’d say it's true for us and for the others. Even McLaren, with the step they have compared to the rest of the grid, sometimes you have one of their cars that is struggling a bit more. It is what it is.

“A couple of years ago, you could go to Q1 with a set of Mediums, do one lap, and you were in Q2. Today, even the top teams have to put sometimes two sets of Softs.

“Again, the field is very, very tight, and each time you make a mistake, you can lose five or six positions. Then the conclusion from outside is that it's a drama.

“We're more focused on pure performance, and five hundredths is not a drama. That means we need to stay calm in the analysis if we want to improve. I think it was one of the skills of the team last year to be able to capitalise hundredths of a second at a time. I hope we'll follow the same path this year.”