Ferrari rejects ‘transitional year’ narrative for Hamilton

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has delivered a resolute rebuttal to suggestions that 2025 is a mere “transitional” season for Lewis Hamilton, whose rocky start with the Scuderia has tested the seven-time champion’s resolve.

Hamilton’s move to Ferrari was heralded as a dream alliance, but the inconsistency displayed by the Scuderia’s SF-25 has left the seven-time world champion trailing teammate Charles Leclerc in all five races, culminating in a demoralizing 30-second deficit at the end of last weekend’s Saudi Arabian GP.

A despondent Hamilton called the campaign “painful,” hinting at a reset with 2026’s new rules. Yet, Vasseur’s unshaken belief in Hamilton’s potential and Ferrari’s responsibility to unlock it paints a picture of defiance and determination.

A Competitor’s Frustration Fuels Progress

Vasseur sees Hamilton’s somewhat disheartened demeanor of late not as a sign of decline but as a mark of his fierce competitive spirit.

“It’s not a transitional time, but for sure he’s down because when you finish the race in sixth [sic] your team-mate is on the podium,” Vasseur said last weekend in Jeddah, quoted by Motorsport Week.

“Honestly, I take it as positive that Lewis is down because if he was happy with this, it wouldn’t be normal. He’s a racer, he’s a competitor, he wants to get the best from what he has and for sure he’s disappointed.”

Vasseur’s response is a call to action, emphasizing collaboration.

“Now we have to work together to react together, and it will be the only way to move forward.”

Totally Committed to Hamilton’s Resurgence

Despite the rough patch, and the early promise validated by Hamilton’s commanding Sprint win in China – Vasseur made it crystal clear that the Briton has his enduring backing — and that Ferrari must shoulder responsibility, too.

“I will be 2000 per cent behind him,” insisted the Frenchman. “I will give him support and we will start from tomorrow morning to try to find solutions and reasons and to work on it early in the morning.

“But honestly, I am not too worried. If you have a look on what he did in China or what he did in the race in Bahrain last week or even on the first part of the session in this weekend, the potential is there for sure.

“We just have to adjust the balance because we are, collectively, Lewis and us, we are struggling with the balance of his car and how he is working the tyres.

“It’s a kind of negative spot but I think the potential of the car is there and we will try to solve that.”

For Vasseur, the message is clear: Ferrari isn’t waiting for 2026 — and neither is Lewis Hamilton.

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