Team boss describes

Vasseur: Hamilton “knows how to exert pressure”

Frederic Vasseur (l.) has commented on Lewis Hamilton (r.).

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures, Photoshop)

The Italians don't want to believe it. Lewis Hamilton is already in Imola, but is still not wearing Ferrari red. "I'm a Mercedes driver," says the record Formula 1 world champion dutifully when he is asked in the paddock about his first "home race" for the Scuderia since the announcement of the sensational switch.

Frenchman Frederic Vasseur has been Ferrari team principal since January 2023 and is working on renovating the traditional racing team with an aggressive personnel policy. The signing of Hamilton from next year is just the clearest signal that the Scuderia wants to get back to the top.

"Fresh blood in the system"
In an interview with "La Repubblica" before the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Vasseur described the mega-transfer of the seven-time world champion as "fresh blood in the system". "He is someone who knows how to put pressure on the team to produce top performances. That will give us a big boost."

Ferrari needs Hamilton as a development accelerator. Kimi Räikkönen 2007 is still the last drivers' world champion in red, the last constructors' title dates back to 2008, when Hamilton became world champion for the first time in the McLaren and the Ferrari team boss was still Stefano Domenicali, who is now the boss of the entire racing series.

Lewis Hamilton will take his seat in the Ferrari next season (montage).

(Bild: Marton Monus/Pool Photo via AP, APA/AFP/Nelson ALMEIDA, Photoshop)

"We are still a young team. It's not just a question of age, but also of shared experience and shared victories," Vasseur continued, explaining the coup with Hamilton. "This means that we are still pretty green behind the ears. Bringing in someone with such a great background and experience will certainly have an impact." It has to. The pressure is already immense.

More aggression
Hamilton is not the last building block in Vasseur's Ferrari architecture. Belgian Jerome d'Ambrosio, who will be Vasseur's right-hand man in the future, and Frenchman Loic Serra, who will oversee chassis development, will also join from Mercedes on October 1. "I am trying to change the corporate culture so that we become a little more aggressive everywhere," said Vasseur, explaining his approach.

This also includes replacing personnel at short notice when necessary. For example, Charles Leclerc will have a new race engineer in Bryan Bozzi in the middle of the season to replace the hapless Xavi Marcos. It is a serious step, considering how close the relationship between driver and race engineer is.

Sensitive change
"We often fight over fractions of a hundredth. If you have the feeling that you can improve something, it's good to do so," said Vasseur, once Hamilton's team principal in GP2 and Formula 3, explaining his decision. Formula 1 chroniclers noted that the last time Ferrari made such a sensitive change was in 2006 with Felipe Massa.

Vasseur is far from finished with his reorganization. Speculation is rife that star designer Adrian Newey could also switch to Ferrari after his announced departure from industry leader Red Bull. According to the Daily Mail, the contract with the 65-year-old has already been signed.

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"Adrian is a reference for the whole of Formula 1 because of his experience and success," said Vasseur about the Briton, who won a total of 12 constructors' titles and 13 drivers' titles with his designs. Newey himself only recently admitted his regret at never having worked for Ferrari in his career. Hamilton then immediately told the mastermind that he thought his employment with the Italians was great.