Is Vasseur fearful of Hamilton's qualifying form? Ferrari boss responds
F1 News
Lewis Hamilton will make a highly anticipated move to Ferrari for the 2025 Formula 1 season, but the Brit, by his own admission, believes his qualifying performances have not been good enough recently. Is Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur concerned about this ahead of the arrival?
Hamilton was furious with his performance in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix. The Brit qualified in sixth place, three positions behind his Mercedes teammate George Russell. This came on the day Mercedes announced his replacement, Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The seven-time World Champion even suggested that Mercedes deserved better and they might get that next season with the young Italian.
On race day, Hamilton moved forward one place but was still kicking himself about his own performance in qualifying. He even suggested that he would've been able to beat Carlos Sainz had he qualified where he felt he should've been. This is not just related to the Italian Grand Prix. In Monaco, Hamilton even doubted whether he would ever beat Russell in qualifying again, but has since proved that wrong.
Is Vasseur concerned by Hamilton's qualifying peformance?
Vasseur is busy focusing on the 2024 season, where Ferrari are only 39 points behind leaders Red Bull Racing. But the Frenchman has an eye towards next season when he was asked about whether he was worried about Hamilton's current form. "No," Vasseur bluntly said in a conversation with Sky Sports. "He won in Spa. I will take the win at the end of the race, rather than the pole position." Vasseur and Hamilton have known each other for a long time. The two worked together during Hamilton's Formula 2 season.
Earlier in 2024, just after the deal was announced, Hamilton suggested his move to Ferrari wouldn't have happened. He said during the press conference: "I think the stars aligned, and it [the move to Ferrari] really wouldn't have happened without him, so I'm really grateful and I'm really excited about the work that he's doing there."
Hamilton will be boosted by the fact Loïc Serra will join Ferrari next month. The Frenchman previously worked with Hamilton at Mercedes in multiple key roles.