Kieran is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs and feature content across the F1 calendar. An NQJ-qualified journalist with more than a decade of experience, he has previously written for publications including MailOnline, the Manchester Evening News and the Eastern Daily Press.
Lewis Hamilton has delivered a strong defence of Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur, describing the Frenchman as “a fantastic leader” while admitting that the structure at the team needs "looking at moving forwards".
Ferrari recently issued a statement confirming its “full confidence” in Vasseur following links with former Red Bull boss Christian Horner. Hamilton believes the attention placed on the team principal ignores the wider structure at Maranello.
“There often seems to be a lot of focus on one individual in one role always here,” Hamilton told media including GPblog.
“You can see they’ve obviously switched out lots of different people in Fred’s role, but Fred is a fantastic leader. He really is the guy to take this team in the right direction.”
Hamilton did acknowledge that Ferrari’s structure could require consideration moving forward, while stressing Vasseur is not solely responsible for the team’s fortunes.
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“There are also people above Fred, and it’s not about one person,” he continued. “Fred has helped make changes in this past year. He’s helped us get to second in the Constructors’ Championship. That’s a huge step from last year.”
Hamilton identifies Ferrari’s engine weakness
The seven-time world champion also pointed to straight-line speed as Ferrari’s clearest weakness against its rivals.
“The deficit we have is simply just on engine,” Hamilton said. “We don’t shy away from it. We know that every weekend, we carry a full tenth deficit, if not sometimes six tenths, just in straight-line power.”
While accepting the Scuderia are not perfect, Hamilton admitted he is frustrated by the intense scrutiny the team receives compared with its rivals.
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“For me, it’s frustrating to see all the negativity,” he added. “We either make the same mistake or are not perfect, and we know we’re not, and it’s 10 times worse for some reason for Ferrari. But that’s also to be expected given that it’s the best brand here. It’s the most iconic by far.”
Hamilton's defence of Vasseur was backed up by teammate Charles Leclerc, who said the rumours surrounding the team principal's future was "disrespectful".
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| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 302 | |
2 | MercedesMER | 236 | |
3 | FerrariFER | 199 | |
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