Ferrari F1 legend hints Lewis Hamilton's boss lacks leadership

Lewis Hamilton, Fred Vasseur and Christian Horner face the camera expressionless with their arms by their side — Photo: © IMAGO

Ferrari

Ferrari legend hints Lewis Hamilton's boss lacks leadership

Lewis Hamilton has publicly backed Fred Vasseur

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 17 September 2025 21:56

A former Ferrari chairman has taken a swipe at Fred Vasseur's leadership at the head of the F1 team.

Vasseur worked hard to bring seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton to the team in a blockbuster transfer announced last year, but Hamilton's 2025 has been disappointing.

Hamilton joined the team back in January, and is yet to have secured a grand prix podium with the team, with poor car performance and a lack of confidence in his own abilities seemingly hampering the 40-year-old.

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While his team-mate Charles Leclerc has outperformed Hamilton, even he has not had the car to challenge for a single race win in 2025 as of yet, with Ferrari desperately trying to build a better package for 2026.

New regulations hit F1 in 2026, which could see Ferrari become a championship-contending team once more and, despite the team's recent struggles, team boss Vasseur has recently been handed a contract extension.

Now, former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo has questioned 'lonely' Vasseur's leadership of what he says is a 'soulless' team.

Di Montezemolo was chairman of the luxury sports car brand between 1991-2004, before becoming president of FIAT S.p.A, Ferrari's parent company.

"Today there's no leadership and, above all, there's no soul," Di Montezemolo told Gazzetta about Ferrari. "I don't know Vasseur and I don't criticise him, but I see a lonely man.

"Too many changes, the team needs stability. Fiat wanted me to fire Todt, but I refused. I said, 'If he leaves, I'll leave too.'"

Can Vasseur return Ferrari to the top of F1?

When he was Ferrari president, Di Montezemolo brought Jean Todt to Ferrari in 1993, with the Frenchman then signing champion Michael Schumacher to the team for the 1996 season.

Sound familiar? Well, Frenchman Vasseur signed seven-time champion Hamilton to the team after two seasons as team principal, and is now looking to power Ferrari to their first championship of any kind since 2008.

Alongside the technical expertise of Ross Brawn, Todt and Schumacher returned Ferrari to world title glory, earning five drivers’ championships and six constructors’ titles between 1999 and 2004.

Despite a disappointing 2025 season for Ferrari, this year could be a transition period, with champion Hamilton and new personnel, such as Loic Serra, embedding themselves in at the team before the regulations change next season.

Schumacher, Todt and Brawn did not start winning titles straight away; but only time will tell as to whether Vasseur and Hamilton can build towards similar success in the future.

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