Fred Vasseur believes that Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari both needed “time to be on the same page” when it came to certain details as the partnership between the two sides began this season.
Hamilton took the F1 world by surprise when his headline switch to the Scuderia on a multi-year deal starting from 2025 was announced ahead of the 2024 campaign getting underway, bringing his extensive and hugely successful relationship with Mercedes to an end.
The seven-time World Champion has faced mixed fortunes during his debut season as a Ferrari driver but recently shared positive comments about how he is adapting to the SF-25, having said after the United States Grand Prix: “I’m finally feeling like I’m on top of the car.”
Asked one week later in Mexico about how much work had gone into Hamilton and the team reaching this point, Vasseur explained the importance of ensuring that the squad are on top of every detail given how close the competition is.
“It’s like this from the beginning of the season, that the field is mega, mega tight this year, that you have guys moving from P18 sometimes to P3 or P4,” said Vasseur. “It means that if you leave something on the table, you are losing positions.
“Lewis needed – and the team needed – time to be exactly on the same page on some details, and for every single detail today you are losing positions. It means that we need to be in full control of everything, and it’s the clear target for all of us.”
While Hamilton is still searching for a maiden Grand Prix podium in red, Ferrari have enjoyed visits to the rostrum lately with Charles Leclerc, the Monegasque having claimed a P3 in Austin before following this up with a P2 finish in Mexico seven days on.
Speaking before the result at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Vasseur admitted that the squad’s return to the podium at the Circuit of The Americas had offered them encouragement as they fight for second in the Teams’ Championship against Mercedes and Red Bull.
“It’s a good push for the motivation but, in any case, we are motivated by the target to finish P2,” the Team Principal conceded. “It’s a good challenge, a long fight until the end of the championship, and let’s see what will happen in the next weekends.”
Although Ferrari retook second place in Mexico, the Silver Arrows remain only one point behind in third while fourth-placed Red Bull have only a 10-point deficit to the Italian team.
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