GPS failure left Ferrari ‘blind’ on Hamilton strategy, says Vasseur

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has revealed that a critical GPS failure during the British Grand Prix compromised Lewis Hamilton’s strategy — a setback that may have cost the British driver a podium finish in his first home race as a Ferrari driver.

Hamilton ultimately finished fourth at Silverstone, narrowly missing out on a top-three result as Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg claimed his first-ever Formula 1 podium.

But according to Vasseur, Ferrari’s ability to react and adapt during key phases of the race was hampered by a loss of live GPS data — particularly when the track was drying in the final stint.

“We lost the GPS of Lewis all the race,” Vasseur disclosed. “It means that we are completely blind and didn’t know where the car was. It was a difficult one.”

Strategy Miss as Rain and Drying Track Complicate Call

After an early drop through the order during a Lap 12 downpour, Hamilton had worked his way back into contention, challenging Hülkenberg as the track began to dry.

Ferrari attempted to gain an advantage by calling the Briton in for slick tyres on Lap 41. But the switch proved premature, as the track still had wet patches, and Hamilton ran wide at Village, losing valuable time.

“I think you can say now that it was probably one lap too early, also because he went straight in Turns 3-4 and lost four or five seconds in these two corners,” Vasseur explained after the race.

“I think it was [Fernando] Alonso who pitted before, and it was already faster on some corners than all the guys on Intermediate.”

The undercut failed, and Hülkenberg’s in-lap on the Intermediates — followed by a perfectly timed switch to slicks — allowed the German to rejoin comfortably ahead of the Ferrari driver, securing third place at the chequered flag.

Split-Second Decisions in Unforgiving Conditions

Vasseur acknowledged that races with mixed conditions like Silverstone place huge demands on pit wall decisions, where the margin between reward and regret is often measured in seconds.

“It’s the kind of situation that if you want that the others are doing the move before you, it’s always too late,” he said.

“And I think it’s quite easy after the race to say that [the] first pitstop could have been better to stop one lap before; the second pitstop to stop one lap later.”

“But honestly, on this, when you have to take the decision on the pit wall, it’s a very tricky one, because you always have to be into the anticipation.”

Read also:

• Hamilton: Ferrari car 'the most difficult I've driven' in tough conditions

Despite the disappointment of narrowly missing the podium, Hamilton managed to bring home solid points in P4, while teammate Charles Leclerc was left a lowly P14 after a dismal afternoon.

The Scuderia will likely reflect on how a seemingly small technical failure had outsized strategic consequences in one of the most variable races of the season.

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