Lewis Hamilton backs Fred Vasseur amid rumours Ferrari could be poised to replace the team principal by sacking him ahead of the new regulations change at the end of the year, following their disappointing start to the 2025 Formula 1 season.
The Scuderia came into the campaign expecting to be mixing it up with McLaren at the front of the field, having missed out on the constructors’ championship in Abu Dhabi by just 14 points, a one-race win swing.
However, things have not gone to plan. Maranello’s latest product, the SF-25, has seen a massive regression in pace and the team are yet to claim a single Grand Prix victory, with just three podiums to their name.
Now seemingly the fourth-slowest car behind McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes, they experienced a new low at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 1 when their seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, was overtaken by Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber.
The fact that the end of 2024 saw the two teams split by a mammoth 648 points is a testament to just how the aerodynamicists have lost their way, and naturally it’s their boss’ head on the line.
Reports claim Ferrari have looked at Christian Horner to replace Vasseur; as well as in-house at the leader of the World Endurance Championship team, Antonello Coletta, but Hamilton backs his boss and long-time friend amid the sacking rumours.
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“It’s definitely not nice to hear that there are stories like that out there,” Hamilton told media, including Total-Motorsport.com. “Firstly, I love working with Fred. Fred’s the main reason I’m in this team and I got the opportunity to be here – for which I’m forever grateful. We’re in this together. We’re working hard in the background.
“Things aren’t perfect. But as I said, I’m here to work with the team and with Fred. I want Fred here. I do believe Fred is the person to take us to the top, and so that’s that. To me, it’s all nonsense what people have written. Most people don’t know what’s going on in the background.
“It isn’t all easy, like, it’s not the smoothest sailing. We are having to make changes and there’s a lot of work to do. Naturally there’s a lot of pressure because we want to win, but that’s not any part of the discussion at the moment.”
Hamilton quashes Vasseur sacking rumours: “Please stop making stuff up.”
The rumours are understandable, but somewhat surprising considering 57-year-old Frenchman has generally done a successful job since he linked up at Maranello from Sauber ahead of the 2023 F1 season.
Under his tenure, Carlos Sainz secured the only non-Red Bull win of that entire season before the team then took a big step forward to have a real chance at the constructors’ championship and an outside shot at the drivers’ through Charles Leclerc.
He also secured the signature of Hamilton from under the nose of Mercedes’ Toto Wolff, and the team came into the campaign expecting to compete for the titles – but their new car concept has not yet worked, despite reports of encouraging results in the simulator.
So with what is the first real setback of his time at Ferrari that he is responsible for, fans might be shocked to hear Vasseur could pay the harshest price and Hamilton believes the rumours are just that. Rumours.
“Again, I don’t think that’s on the cards as far as I’m aware,” Hamilton continued. “And that’s certainly not something I would be supportive of.
“Embedding new people, new personnel – whether it’s a driver or whether it’s engineers or people who run an organization – it takes time to adjust, and the impact that has is significant.
“That’s not part of the discussion. I’m here to win with Fred. He has my full support. And also, to everyone writing stories of me considering not racing – I literally only just started here with Ferrari.
“I’m here for several years, and I’m here for the long haul. There’s no question where my head’s at and what I’m working towards achieving with this team. So, there’s zero doubts. Please stop making stuff up.”
