Vasseur: Ferrari ‘stupid’ to expect seamless Hamilton transition

Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur has admitted it was “stupid” to think Lewis Hamilton would instantly feel at home in Maranello after leaving Mercedes, reiterating his view that both he and the Briton underestimated the scale of the challenge.

After more than a decade and a half at Mercedes, Hamilton’s high-profile move was billed as a natural step towards rejuvenating Ferrari’s title ambitions – but the transition has proved far more difficult than anticipated.

Hamilton’s first season with Ferrari has so far fallen short of the hype that surrounded his arrival. Despite an early sprint race victory in China, the seven-time world champion has endured an inconsistent campaign, still searching for a podium finish while significantly trailing teammate Charles Leclerc in the standings.

His struggles have raised questions both inside and outside the paddock about whether the partnership can deliver the immediate success many expected.

A Mutual Miscalculation

For Vasseur, the problem has not been Hamilton’s ability but rather the underestimation of what it takes for a driver so deeply embedded in one team’s culture to integrate into another. That, he concedes, was a mistake both he and Hamilton made at the start of this new chapter.

“Lewis and I, we collectively, probably underestimated the change of environment, and the fact that he spent, for me, 20 years in the same team,” Vasseur repeated once again, speaking to The Race.

“McLaren was Mercedes, and then he moved to Mercedes [in 2013]: an English team [based in Brackley], same engine guys, that same culture and so on.

“So he spent 2006 to 2024, 18 years, in this environment, and then he arrived at Ferrari. And we were stupidly expecting that he will have everything under control.”

Vasseur contrasted Hamilton’s long tenure with Mercedes, including his earlier stint with McLaren – a team closely tied to the German manufacturer – with the more transient career of Hamilton’s predecessor at the Scuderia, Carlos Sainz.

“He’s not the guy who changed team every two years,” the Frenchman pointed out.

“You have guys on the grid that, if you have a look on Carlos, for example, he did Toro Rosso, Renault, McLaren, us and Williams in eight years. He changed four times. He’s used to dealing with this. Lewis was not the case.”

The Underestimated Culture Factor

The Ferrari boss emphasised that Hamilton’s adjustment has been complicated by cultural differences between Maranello and Brackley.

“Culturally speaking, there is a bigger difference between Ferrari and Mercedes than between Mercedes and McLaren. And this we underestimated,” Vasseur admitted.

“It took Lewis four or five races to be a bit more in control. And I would say that from Canada, Spain, UK, Austria, he was there. He was.

“In Spa he had a tough weekend, but for different reasons with a difficult qualifying. But then in the race, he was very good. And [Hungary] I think it was more details.

“If you have a look at the [qualifying] classification, you see one is P1, the other is P12. But we were not far away from having Charles P11 and Lewis P12.”

Demanding by Nature

Hamilton’s well chronicled frustrations in Hungary earlier this month, where he called himself “useless” and hinted Ferrari should consider his replacement, did not faze Vasseur, who insisted that high expectations are part of what makes top drivers tick.

“He’s like this, and sometimes he was also like this at Mercedes,” Vasseur explained. “For me, it’s not a drama.

“I understand the approach of the guy. I understand the philosophy, and the fact that he’s very, very demanding with me, with the engineers, with the mechanics, but mainly with himself.

“And this, I think, everybody can perfectly accept this, as long as the driver is also demanding with himself.

“The example of Nico Hulkenberg is also a very good one. He was mega, mega demanding with all the team in F3. But he was the first one to go jogging at 6.30am in the morning.

“For the mechanics, it was OK. As long as the guy is pushing on himself, they were keen to have someone demanding of them.”

• Read also: Details of Hamilton’s fixes and feedback to Ferrari revealed

While Ferrari’s partnership with Hamilton has yet to deliver the results many anticipated, Vasseur remains convinced the foundations are in place for success.

For the Scuderia chief, the early struggles are less a sign of failure than a reminder of just how complex it is to reset after nearly two decades in one environment.

And if history shows anything, it’s that Hamilton has rarely taken long to turn a challenge into a comeback.

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