Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur expressed his appreciation for Lewis Hamilton`s disappointment following his qualifying result at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Vasseur lauded Hamilton`s mentality and his subsequent “very strong” recovery during the race.
Hamilton appeared dejected after qualifying ninth in Sakhir the previous Saturday, describing his performance as “poor” and apologizing to the team for “not performing adequately.”
However, the seven-time world champion`s drive to fifth place on race day was encouraging. Hamilton indicated afterwards, “I believe I`ve understood how to drive this car effectively.”
Despite securing a notable pole position and victory in the Sprint format at the second race of the season in China, Hamilton has generally been behind his teammate Charles Leclerc. He openly acknowledged that adapting to Ferrari`s car and new working methods after more than a decade with Mercedes is taking time.
Speaking after the race, Vasseur acknowledged this, stating, “You can`t replace 12 years of collaboration in just two weeks or two races. Certainly, we need to improve, and this applies to everyone in the team and in the sport – the core of our sport is to constantly strive for improvement.”
“It`s positive that Lewis has this mindset – `I also need to improve and adapt to the car.` We will also adjust the car for Lewis, but he also needs to adapt. This process is being approached constructively and positively between us.”
Vasseur noted that Hamilton`s frustration after qualifying was normal and highlighted the positive aspects of the British driver`s performance throughout the rest of the weekend.
“I understand his qualifying frustration because, if you analyze all the practice sessions, then Q1 and Q2, he was consistently close to Charles,” he added.
“Then, in Q3, his first lap was invalidated, and he made a mistake on the second, which is costly. So, his frustration, and ours too, is understandable.”
“He demonstrated a very strong recovery and a solid race to come back. His race pace was quite comparable to the top two or three contenders.”
Brundle: Age Is Not Hamilton`s Qualifying Issue
Lewis Hamilton holds the record for the most pole positions in F1 history with 104. However, his recent qualifying results compared to his teammates have sparked discussions about whether the seven-time champion is as quick as he once was.
Last season at Mercedes, George Russell outperformed him in qualifying 19-5, and this year, Leclerc is already ahead 3-1 in Grand Prix qualifying sessions.
Hamilton turned 40 in January and is the second-oldest driver on the grid, after Fernando Alonso, who is 43.
However, Martin Brundle from Sky Sports F1 believes that age is not the primary reason for Hamilton`s qualifying struggles.
“Those somber interviews became familiar last year and are now recurring at Ferrari,” Brundle commented regarding Hamilton`s post-qualifying remarks in Bahrain.
“In my experience, various factors can change [with age]. I noticed my vision changing at night at Le Mans, for example. I believe Sebastian Vettel`s peripheral vision diminished towards the end of his career.”
“I don`t believe there`s a universal experience, but I don`t think age is Lewis`s problem. I don`t think he has lost his vision or driving ability. He seems to have lost some direction in setting up the car to his preference.”
“And he is competing with a group of young drivers who have considerable experience, over 100 races, and are still in their mid-twenties.”
Ferrari`s Car Improvement Pace for 2025
Apart from the Shanghai Sprint, Leclerc and Hamilton`s fourth and fifth places in Bahrain marked Ferrari`s best combined result in what has been a largely disappointing season thus far.
Their car showed strong pace in the middle part of the race. However, despite a Safety Car period that closed up the field for the final 22 laps, race winner Oscar Piastri in a McLaren still finished 20 seconds ahead of Leclerc at Sakhir.
“The situation varies,” Vasseur said regarding their car`s pace. “We can have stints where we compete with McLarens, like in China or at times in Bahrain.”
“Overall, looking at the season average, we are probably lacking two, three, or four tenths. We are missing something, which means we must continue working and not force solutions.”
“When considering the overall picture, things improve significantly when conditions are extreme and require more tire management.”
Vasseur added, “Finding the right balance with the tires is challenging because tire behavior varies with conditions, causing the balance to shift considerably.”
“When I say `we,` I mean Mercedes and Red Bull also face similar consistency challenges compared to McLaren, which leads to driver frustration.”
“At the end of FP2, the balance is good. At the start of FP3, it`s not, and this is where we need to improve together. It`s not just the drivers; it`s the team effort. Improvement will come from within us.”
Ferrari heads to the Saudi Arabian race this weekend, currently fourth in the Constructors` Championship, trailing leaders McLaren by 94 points.
Marcus Prine