Lewis Hamilton: Ferrari chief Frederic Vasseur praises driver’s mindset after Bahrain GP post-qualifying fightback

Ferrari staff boss Frederic Vasseur mentioned he ‘appreciated’ the actual fact Lewis Hamilton was disillusioned about his qualifying outcome on the Bahrain Grand Prix as he praised his driver’s mindset and subsequent “very strong” restoration drive.

Hamilton reduce a downbeat determine after qualifying ninth at Sakhir final Saturday, describing his efficiency as “poor” and apologising to the staff for “not doing a good enough job”.

However the seven-time world champion’s race-day drive to fifth place provided extra promise, with Hamilton suggesting afterwards: “I think I’ve figured out how the car likes to drive.”

Though he claimed an excellent pole and win within the short-form Dash format on the season’s second spherical in China final month, Hamilton has in any other case trailed new team-mate Charles Leclerc thus far and overtly admitted he’s taking time to adapt to the driving fashion required for Ferrari’s automobile and new methods of working after over a decade at Mercedes.

And talking after the race, an understanding Vasseur mentioned: “You will not substitute 12 years of collaboration in two weeks or in two races. For certain, we have to enhance however that is true for everyone within the staff, within the paddock, that the DNA for our sport is to attempt to do a greater job.

“It is good to have Lewis with this mindset ‘I’ve to enhance additionally myself, and to adapt myself to the automobile’ and we are going to adapt the automobile to Lewis however he needed to do a step. That is accomplished in a optimistic means and a really constructive means between us.

“The very fact he was a bit down yesterday night, I prefer it. If he comes again and says ‘I am tenth, it is a disgrace’, so he was disillusioned as a result of he was higher in the remainder of the weekend.

“In F1 today, if you make a mistake you lose six or seven positions. That was not the case three or four years ago.

“We have now to remain calm by way of judgment of the efficiency, as a result of typically, for nearly nothing, you’ll be able to change a great weekend into a really poor one.

“I appreciated the direction of Lewis on Saturday and I did my best to push him a little bit, and on Sunday he was in very good shape.”

Vasseur mentioned Hamilton’s post-qualifying disappointment was regular and that he noticed optimistic indicators from the Briton’s efficiency over the remainder of the weekend.

“I understand his frustration from qualifying because if you look at all the practice sessions, then Q1 and Q2, he was plus or minus one tenth from Charles,” he added.

“You then arrive to Q3, the primary lap is deleted and the second he made a mistake and also you pay the value. For certain, a little bit of frustration for him and us additionally.

“He had a very strong recovery, a solid race that he came back. I think the race time compared to the top two or three was almost similar.”

Brundle: Age is not Lewis’ drawback for qualifying

As with the case with nearly all of F1’s most vital information, Hamilton has claimed extra pole positions (104) than every other driver in historical past however his poor qualifying file versus his team-mates over the previous 12 months has prompted debate about whether or not the seven-time champion stays as completely quick as he as soon as was.

He was trounced 19-5 by George Russell over a single lap in his last season at Mercedes final season, whereas he’s already 3-1 all the way down to Leclerc in Grands Prix classes thus far this yr.

Hamilton turned 40 in January and is the second-oldest driver on the grid after 43-year-old Fernando Alonso,

Nevertheless, Sky Sports activities F1’s Martin Brundle doesn’t consider age is the issue that’s holding Hamilton again over a single lap.

“Those sad interviews, we got quite used to those last year, that’s now replaying out at Ferrari,” mentioned Brundle about Hamilton’s post-qualifying remarks in Bahrain.

“My experience is that different things go [with eyes]. I noticed my eyes going at Le Mans at night, for example. I think Sebastian Vettel lost a bit of peripheral vision, for example, if I think of the end of his career.

“I would not say there’s one measurement suits all on that, however I simply nonetheless really feel that age is not Lewis’ drawback. I actually do not assume he is misplaced any imaginative and prescient or he is misplaced any sort of driving capacity as such. He simply appears to have misplaced his means a little bit bit in getting a automobile how he likes it.

“And he’s got a host of young drivers around him who have got a well over 100 races experience, and they’re still in their mid-twenties.”

How rapidly can Ferrari enhance their 2025 automobile’s tempo?

The Shanghai Dash apart, Leclerc and Hamilton’s fourth and fifth place finishes in Bahrain represented Ferrari’s finest mixed results of their largely disappointing season thus far.

Their automobile appeared significantly fast through the center part of the race though ultimately, regardless of the looks of the Security Automobile closing the pack up for the ultimate 22 laps, lead runner Leclerc nonetheless completed 20 seconds behind McLaren race winner Oscar Piastri at Sakhir.

“From situation to situation, it’s a bit different,” mentioned Vasseur of their automobile’s tempo. “You can have some stints when we are fighting with the McLarens like China, or at times in Bahrain.

“Total, if in case you have a glance, on the typical of the season, I believe we’re lacking two or three or 4 tenths. We’re lacking one thing. It implies that we’ve got to proceed to work and do not pressure issues.

“When you have a look at the situation, things are much better when they are extreme and there’s more tyre management.”

Vasseur added: “The balance is not an easy one with the tyres because that we have different behaviour of the tyres, with the conditions, it means that the balance is also changing a lot.

“After I say ‘we, I imply Mercedes and Purple Bull [too] are struggling extra, in comparison with McLaren on consistency, and in addition for the drivers have a little bit of frustration.

“At the end of FP2, the balance is good. At the beginning of FP3, it’s not but it’s where we have to improve together. It’s not the drivers, it’s the team. It’s a teamwork and it will come from ourselves.”

Ferrari head to Saudi Arabia for this weekend’s race fourth within the Constructors’ Championship and already 94 factors behind the tempo being set by dominant leaders McLaren.

Saudi Arabian GP dates, UK begin time and Sky Sports activities F1’s reside schedule – follow, qualifying and race

Thursday April 17

• 4pm: Drivers’ Press Convention

Friday April 18

• 10.50am: F2 Observe
• 12pm: F1 Academy Observe
• 2pm: Saudi Arabian GP Observe One (session begins at 2.30pm)
• 3.55pm: F2 Qualifying
• 4.40pm: Group Bosses’ Press Convention
• 5.45pm: Saudi Arabian GP Observe Two (session begins at 6pm)
• 7.25pm: F1 Academy Qualifying
• 8.10pm: The F1 Present

Saturday April 19

• 1.15pm: F1 Academy Race 1
• 2.05pm: Saudi Arabian GP Observe Three (session begins at 2.30pm)*
• 4.10pm: F2 Dash
• 5.10pm: Saudi Arabian GP Qualifying build-up
• 6pm: SAUDI ARABIAN GP QUALIFYING

Sunday April 20

• 1pm: F1 Academy Race 2
• 2.20pm: F2 Characteristic Race
• 4.30pm: Saudi Arabian GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday
• 6pm: THE SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX*
• 8pm: Saudi Arabian GP response: Chequered flag

*Additionally reside on Sky Sports activities Predominant Occasion

Method 1 completes its first triple-header of 2025 in Jeddah with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend, reside on Sky Sports activities F1. Stream Sky Sports activities with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime