Ferrari group principal Frederic Vasseur has admitted that he and Lewis Hamilton “stupidly” underestimated the problem the seven-time world champion would face in becoming a member of the Italian squad.
Hamilton made a blockbuster change to affix Ferrari firstly of the 2025 season after spending 12 years at Mercedes, who he had joined in 2013 having pushed at McLaren for the primary six years of his Method 1 profession.
The 40-year-old’s debut marketing campaign with Ferrari has been extraordinarily underwhelming, with the Brit left sixth within the drivers’ standings and and not using a grand prix podium as the game reached its August summer season break with 14 of the season’s 24 rounds full.
Hamilton hit a brand new emotional low within the closing spherical earlier than the break in Hungary, as he declared himself “useless” and stated Ferrari wanted to vary driver, after qualifying twelfth when his team-mate Charles Leclerc – who has 5 grand prix podiums this season – claimed pole.
Reflecting on Hamilton’s struggles forward of the season’s resumption with the Dutch Grand Prix from August 29-31, Vasseur advised The Race: “Lewis and I, we collectively, most likely underestimated the change of setting, and the truth that he spent, for me, 20 years in the identical group.
“McLaren was Mercedes, after which he moved to Mercedes, an English group [based in Brackley], similar engine guys, that very same tradition and so forth.
“So, he spent 2006 to 2024, 18 years, in this environment, and then he arrived at Ferrari. And we were stupidly expecting that he will have everything under control.”
Even earlier than his struggles on the Hungaroring, Hamilton had admitted upon arriving in Budapest that there would “be some tears” throughout the summer season break as he tried to come back to phrases with “a real battle” of a begin to life at Ferrari.
Please use Chrome browser for a extra accessible video participant
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was despondent after failing to make it into Q3 on the Hungarian Grand Prix
Every week earlier in Belgium, Hamilton revealed he had been submitting paperwork to Ferrari bosses and holding conferences with key figures throughout the group in an try to make sure the partnership is extra profitable in 2026.
Whereas there have been occasional brilliant spots, most notably a Dash pole and victory on the second spherical of the season in China, Hamilton has largely struggled to become familiar with the SF-25.
Vasseur additionally defined why he thinks the Brit could be discovering it tougher than the motive force he changed at Ferrari, Williams’ Carlos Sainz, to modify groups.
“He’s not the guy who changed team every two years,” Vasseur stated.
Please use Chrome browser for a extra accessible video participant
Relive the highest 5 viral moments of the 2025 season thus far, together with Lewis Hamilton’s first Dash win with Ferrari, Yuki Tsunoda’s horror crash, and Christian Horner’s emotional farewell
“You have guys on the grid that, if you have a look on Carlos, for example, he did Toro Rosso, Renault, McLaren, us and Williams in eight years.
“He modified 4 instances. He is used to coping with this. Lewis was not the case.
“Culturally speaking, there is a bigger difference between Ferrari and Mercedes than between Mercedes and McLaren. And this we underestimated.”
Method 1 returns after the summer season break with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on August 29-31, stay on Sky Sports activities F1. Stream Sky Sports activities with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
