Hamilton backs Vasseur as “the person to take Ferrari to the top”

Lewis Hamilton has publicly backed Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur, calling him “the person to take us to the top” amid speculation over Vasseur’s future with the team.

Speaking ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion dismissed reports in Italian media suggesting Ferrari may replace Vasseur, labelling them as “nonsense”.

“Fred’s the main reason I’m here,” said Hamilton. “I believe he is the person to lead us forward, and he has my full support.”

Hamilton, who joined Ferrari this season, currently sits sixth in the drivers’ championship, 23 points behind teammate Charles Leclerc, and has so far struggled to fully adapt to a car he had no role in developing.

“The car I’m driving wasn’t built around me — it’s a project Charles helped shape. But I’m embracing the challenge,” he said.

Hamilton added that embedding new leadership in a team takes time and patience, and he’s committed to Ferrari for the long term:

“I’ve just started this journey with Ferrari. I’m here for several years. There’s zero doubt in my mind about what we’re working towards.”

Vasseur took over from Mattia Binotto at the start of 2023 after Ferrari’s previous title challenge faltered due to poor reliability and operational mistakes. Despite a stronger 2023 campaign, Ferrari have underwhelmed this year, securing just three podiums so far, all through Leclerc.

Meanwhile, McLaren have emerged as front-runners, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris winning seven of the first nine races, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen claiming the remaining two.

Hamilton acknowledged Ferrari’s performance gap and called for more development:

“We’ve had just one upgrade so far in Bahrain. We need more performance to close the gap. Hopefully, more updates are coming soon.”

Despite Ferrari’s challenging start, Hamilton insists morale is strong and that he’s enjoying the process of building something new with Vasseur and the team.