Hamilton still adapting to Ferrari, says Vasseur

Ferrari team principal discusses Lewis Hamilton's emotional response to Bahrain qualifying mistake and the challenges of transitioning after 12 years at Mercedes.

Lewis Hamilton's adaptation to Ferrari remains a work in progress. The seven-time world champion needed emotional support from team principal Fred Vasseur following a disappointing qualifying session at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Vasseur impressed

Hamilton was devastated after a mistake on his final qualifying lap left him in ninth position, significantly behind teammate Charles Leclerc.

His profuse apologies over team radio revealed the pressure he feels to perform at his new team.

Vasseur appreciated this emotional investment.

"The fact that he was a bit down yesterday evening, I like it,"

the Ferrari boss explained to media including PlanetF1.com.

"Because if the guy is coming back P10 and says 'it's a shame' [it's a bad sign]."

The team principal revealed he provided motivational support to lift Hamilton's spirits ahead of the race.

"I did my best to push him a little bit and today he was in a very good shape and a very strong shape," Vasseur said.

Adapting after 12 years at Mercedes

Hamilton's move to Ferrari marks only the second team switch of his illustrious Formula 1 career, following 12 seasons with Mercedes between 2013 and 2024.

"You won't replace 12 years of collaboration [with Mercedes] in two weeks or in two races,"

Vasseur acknowledged.

"For sure, we need to improve but I think this is true for everybody in the paddock."

The Ferrari boss highlighted the two-way nature of the adaptation process.

"We will work on the car and develop the car to Lewis – but he has also to do a step," he explained.

Strong race recovery

Despite qualifying disappointment, Hamilton rebounded to finish fifth in Bahrain – his best result for Ferrari outside of his Chinese Grand Prix sprint race victory last month.

Vasseur was encouraged by the recovery.

"He had a very strong recovery [in the race]. Solid race that he came back [to] P5," the team principal noted.

"I think the race time compared to the top two, top three is almost similar."

The Ferrari boss emphasized how today's competitive Formula 1 field magnifies qualifying mistakes.

"Today, you lose five tenths, you can lose six or seven positions," he explained.

"I think Charles was on the first row, but if he was three or four hundredths slower he would have been P6."

Ferrari's emotional rollercoaster

When asked if Hamilton has been judged too quickly at Ferrari, Vasseur acknowledged the emotional nature of the Scuderia environment.

"We are Latin – I was not expecting something different!" he said. "After [the] China [sprint] we were speaking about the prize-giving ceremony. After China, race two, it was a disaster."

The team principal pointed to Hamilton's contrasting Chinese Grand Prix weekend – winning the sprint race before being disqualified from the main event – as typical of Ferrari's highs and lows.

"The issue is that, for us, the ups are a bit higher and the downs are a bit lower," Vasseur explained.

"If we want to keep a consistent approach and we did it very well the last two years, we have to stay calm."

Vasseur remains confident that the methodical approach that has improved Ferrari's competitiveness in recent seasons will continue to yield results with Hamilton.

"We have to stay calm to try to improve hundredths of seconds by hundredths of seconds, but I'm convinced that we'll do the same job as we did the last two years."