Why Vasseur feels Hamilton deal validates the success of his Ferrari plan
Fred Vasseur believes Lewis Hamilton's signing validates the success of the project he is undertaking at Ferrari because the seven-time World Champion is a driver who wants "guarantees". Hamilton has just six race weekends left at Mercedes before making the move to Ferrar in the winter.
Vasseur arrived at Ferrari for the start of the 2023 Formula 1 season with the aim of making the Italian team championship contenders again. The Frenchman has made changes in various areas, including strategy and technical areas. Under Vasseur's watch, Ferrari has won four races. The 2024 Italian Grand Prix win put them within 39 points of the Championship leaders, but the gap has since increased.
Hamilton and Ferrari announced their 2025 collaboration before the current F1 season even started. Vasseur shows that this is Ferrari's biggest sign of progress.
Why Hamilton signing validates Vasseur's plan at Ferrari
Vasseur spoke about Hamilton at the Festival dello Sport in Trento, organised by Gazzetta dello Sport. "We talked about it some time ago, he always had this desire in mind, but of course, he is a driver who wants to have guarantees in terms of performance. For him this aspect is always in the first place. If he chose to join Ferrari, it confirms to me that we can have the right car. A driver like Hamilton does not come to us on vacation. I think we are in the right place in terms of performance," the Ferrari boss said.
Hamilton will turn 40 before he races for Ferrari. He will be at the team in 2025 and 2026 when the new rules and regulations are introduced in the sport. Vasseur claimed that it was easy to convince Hamilton to join the team.