Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has launched a fiery and expletive-laden defense of Lewis Hamilton following the seven-time world champion’s disappointing seventh-place finish at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Hamilton himself had voiced significant frustration with his car’s performance, suggesting his struggles could persist throughout the season.
However, Vasseur was in no mood to entertain any criticism of his star driver’s early-season form. Addressing the media after the race, the Ferrari boss vehemently backed Hamilton, dismissing any notion of a dramatic dip in performance as “f****** b******t.”
“It’s not dramatically,” Vasseur retorted when questioned about Hamilton’s form. “We did five races so far. I know that you want to have the big headlines tomorrow that ‘Fred said this’. But this is f****** b******t. At the end of the day, we are in competition. You have ups and downs. When we have up, we are not world champions. When we have down, we are not nowhere. It’s just a competition.”
Vasseur’s impassioned defense underscored Ferrari’s unwavering support for Hamilton during this initial phase of his tenure with the team. Despite Hamilton’s admission that the experience in Jeddah was “horrible” and that he was “just sliding around,” Vasseur insisted that the potential within the car is evident.
“I will be 2000 per cent behind him,” Vasseur declared. “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. The potential is there for sure. We just have to adjust the balance. Collectively — Lewis and us — we are struggling with how the car is working the tyres. But this isn’t a crisis.”
Vasseur also drew parallels with reigning world champion Max Verstappen’s experience in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, where the Red Bull driver finished a relatively low seventh. He questioned whether Hamilton’s performance was being subjected to a different level of scrutiny.
“I’m not sure that you draw the same conclusion with Max last week when he was seventh,” Vasseur pointed out. “The competition is so tight — a couple of tenths between 10 cars. Max won in Japan but finished 30 seconds behind Piastri in Bahrain.”
While acknowledging that Hamilton was understandably “down” after finishing behind his teammate Charles Leclerc, who secured a podium in third, Vasseur emphasized the importance of teamwork and finding solutions together.
“We’re a team,” Vasseur concluded. “We have weekends where we struggle and others where we succeed.”
Vasseur’s forceful defense sends a clear message that Ferrari is fully committed to supporting Hamilton as he adapts to his new environment and works to unlock the full potential of the SF-25. Despite the early frustrations, the team principal remains confident that Hamilton will come good.