Lewis Hamilton told to 'calm down' by F1 boss as Ferrari disagreement emerges

Ferrari F1 team principal Fred Vasseur has told Lewis Hamilton that he needs to 'calm down' following the seven-time world champion's post-race interview at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The 40-year-old lined up on the grid in P19 for lights out in Nevada but managed to claw his way through the field to finish in P10.

Hamilton would eventually move up to P8 thanks to the double disqualification of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, but even this was not enough to lift the Ferrari star's spirits.

"I feel terrible," Hamilton said after the race. "It's been the worst season ever and no matter how much I try it just keeps getting worse. I'm trying everything in and out of the car."

Hamilton's comments come in the wake of Ferrari chairman John Elkann telling Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to 'talk less' - and now Vasseur has urged his star driver to keep his emotions in check ahead of the final two races of the season.

Vasseur: Hamilton needs to 'calm down'

“The main issue was [qualifying], and when you start P20 [P19 after Yuki Tsunoda's pit-lane start], for sure the race is difficult, but at the end of the day, he had a decent first part of the race," Vasseur said.

"We struggled a bit more on the mediums, but for now, we have to calm down. To jump out of the car and make the first comments, it is always a bit too much, so let's discuss after the debrief."

The Ferrari team principal also disagreed with Hamilton's notion that all was doom and gloom, insisting that if you look at the underlying performance, things aren't as bad as they might seem.

"It is true on the mathematical side, the last couple of weekends have been very difficult with the Brazil DNF, Austin, and we got the penalty in Mexico and this one, but overall, I think Mexico and Austin were the best weekends from Lewis in terms of pure performance," he continued.

"But it is true that the team did not put everything together, and it is why on the mathematical side, we made a huge step down in the championship, but in terms of pure performance, we are not in so bad a shape as compared to mid-season.

"I understand the reaction from Lewis just after the race, but you have to calm down and be focused on the next two [races].

"[You should] keep in mind that Lewis was there in FP1 and FP2, and the pace was good, and we have to build the weekend up, and starting P20 [P19] is not the best way to have good results.

"We don't have to change completely, we are struggling to have a clean weekend, but either it is the penalty or contact with [Franco] Colapinto [in Brazil], or qualifying, it is not only pure performance.

"For sure, we have to improve on performance, but it is clear it is more about the way we build up the weekend."

Ferrari head into the final two races of the season sat fourth in the constructors' standings, 13 points behind Red Bull in third.

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