Ferrari F1 Team Principal Fred Vasseur has dismissed claims of Lewis Hamilton being past his prime, labelling them as “harsh” and “false”.
Speaking to L’Équipe, the Frenchman expressed that Hamilton’s strict dedication has been a great help in pushing the team forward this season.
The two last worked together in Formula 3 and GP2, where Hamilton won both championships before graduating up to Formula 1 to race with McLaren.
Now 20 years later, Vasseur states that while the seven-time World Champion has changed since they last worked together, one part of his character has ultimately stayed the same:
“We all change in 20 years, but the common characteristic between today’s Lewis and the Lewis from 20 years ago is that he is extremely demanding. The first to go running in the morning, the first to exercise. That’s his trademark and he has kept it.
“And by being demanding with himself, he is also extremely demanding with everyone. He has this ability to push everyone a little bit. When we talk about driver performance, it’s not just about braking late at turn eight.”
Vasseur: Hamilton’s “demanding” character an advantage for Ferrari’s unique approach
According to Vasseur, both Ferrari and Hamilton himself have distinctly unique approaches to F1, but he’s nonetheless pleased with how they have worked together so far:
“Lewis can extract the maximum from people because he is demanding with himself, and it works very well when he is demanding with others.
“This also allows us to change our vision. We don’t do things like Mercedes, like Red Bull, like McLaren; we all do things differently, but despite everything, we all manage to finish within the same tenth.”
He continued: “Lewis, because of his past, has other demands, he thinks about things differently. And I’m not saying it’s better or worse. But for us, it helps.”
Vasseur: Hamilton still very much in the fight
Following the F1 Chinese GP Sprint, Hamilton responded to criticism brought about by his slow start to the season, labelling them as inexperienced and “unaware”. When asked about if Hamilton seems to have transformed in terms of sharing his feelings more often, Vasseur replied:
“I have no idea. But [I] recognise that some criticisms have been very harsh.”
The Frenchman asserted his faith in the fact that Hamilton is still very much a performing driver in the sport:
“To think that Hamilton is worn out, past his prime, that’s rough. And furthermore, it’s false. Look at his last race last year, he starts sixteenth and finishes fourth overtaking his teammate.”
Vasseur: Hamilton “true proof of professionalism and respect”
During the F1 Chinese Grand Prix, some controversy was stirred up following the broadcast of Ferrari team messages as they were trying to swap their drivers.
Only part of the team radio messages between Hamilton, Leclerc and their engineers were broadcast to viewers, which led many people to believe that Hamilton wasn’t too keen on letting his teammate pass.
However, following the race, Vasseur was quick to point out that the swap had been Hamilton’s idea in the first place, and he called the actions of the FOM (who were responsible for broadcasting the messages) a “joke”.
“I’m not saying that the FOM did it on purpose. I don’t know, I wasn’t there,” he said.
“To forget that it was Lewis who proposed to let Charles pass is certainly better for the show and it was a bit less sexy, a bit less tabloid press to discover that the champion decides on his own to let his teammate pass.
“Yes, it was mega classy and sporting of Lewis. A true proof of professionalism and respect for the team. And it’s not often that a guy who is a seven-time world champion says: ‘I’m going to let my teammate pass because he’s faster than me’.”
