Vasseur: Ferrari ‘must improve’ but so must Hamilton

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says raising the Italian outfit’s fortunes is not just about boosting the performance of its car — but about every member of the team, including Lewis Hamilton, playing their part in adapting and improving.

Following a challenging start to his Ferrari career, Hamilton admitted after the Bahrain Grand Prix that he is still learning how to extract the most from the SF-25.

After 12 years at Mercedes, the switch to Maranello was never expected to deliver instant success, and both the team and its new star driver have acknowledged that 2025 is a season of transition.

Team principal Fred Vasseur made clear that Hamilton’s integration is part of a broader process within Ferrari, and that improvement is expected from both sides.

“You won't replace 12 years of collaboration in two weeks or in two races,” Vasseur told the media in Bahrain.

“That means that for sure we need to improve, but I think this is true for everybody in the team, in the paddock, that we have the DNA for our sport is to try to do a better job and I think it's good to have Lewis with this mindset to say, 'OK, I have to improve also myself and to adapt myself to the car.'”

Vasseur stressed the importance of mutual effort and adaptation, saying the work between Hamilton and the engineering team is already taking shape in a healthy way.

“We will work on the car to adapt the car to Lewis, but he also has to do a step. And I think this, between us, is done in a positive way and a very constructive way,” said the Frenchman.

Progress Seen in Bahrain

Last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix provided the clearest signs yet that Hamilton is beginning to find his feet in the SF-25.

Despite a difficult qualifying session that saw him start from ninth on the grid, Hamilton managed to work his way up to fifth in the race, finishing just behind teammate Charles Leclerc.

Vasseur praised Hamilton’s progress across the weekend, noting a clear improvement between Saturday and Sunday.

“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,” he said.

“We have to stay calm in terms of judgement of the performance because sometimes for almost nothing you can change a good weekend to a very poor one, and vice versa.”

Hamilton himself acknowledged the progress he made over the race weekend and outlined some of the key areas he has been working on.

"The middle stint, I felt really aligned with the car. My driving style seemed to be working in that moment," he said following the race. “And so learned a lot today, and this weekend, actually. A lot. Probably more than all the other weekends."

Embracing the Challenge

The seven-time world champion’s comments reveal once again a driver in the midst of a recalibration. The Scuderia’s SF-25 requires a departure from the driving style he honed at Mercedes, and he’s embracing the challenge.

“The key is to try and get back to it every weekend. It’s clear our car really does require a different driving style, and I think I’m slowly adjusting to that,” he added.

• Read also: Hamilton optimistic after 'figuring out' Ferrari driving style

“And also set-up, I’ve been a bit all over the place, a long way from Charles the past two weekends, and then slowly migrated towards him.

“So I think, if I start the weekend with a more convenient spot, and apply the techniques that I learned this weekend, hopefully we’ll be in a good place.”

With the long season ahead, Ferrari’s prospects will depend not just on pace gains from the factory — but on the strength of a unified approach, with Vasseur, Leclerc, Hamilton, and the rest of the team pulling together to get the most from every race weekend.

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook