Ferrari F1 News: Vasseur pushing to fix MAJOR Hamilton problem

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Social, Photoshop — Photo: © IMAGO

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Ferrari pushing to fix MAJOR Hamilton problem

Fred Vasseur opened up on the team's bouncing problem

Jay Winter

Wednesday 31 July 2024 09:12 Updated: 18:49

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Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has affirmed that the team is exerting every effort to resolve the car's persistent bouncing problem, a technical flaw that has notably troubled incoming driver Lewis Hamilton in the past.

Vasseur's comments come after the issue re-emerged during the Belgian Grand Prix, particularly evident on lighter fuel loads.

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Hamilton had to endure significant bouncing issues in 2022 when Mercedes struggled to get to grips with their car’s ride height under the new regulations. The seven-time world champion suffered significant back pain during races because of the issue.

Now, Vasseur is keen to fix the issue on their 2024 car before Hamilton makes the switch to Maranello in 2025.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton had to put up with a painful Mercedes ride in 2022

Mercedes fixed their bouncing issues after changing design philosophies

"Fixing the bouncing is a step in performance, so for sure we are pushing like hell to bring something and we will do it as soon as possible," Vasseur declared to motorsport.com.

"I think it's quite impossible to simulate the bouncing because you can see that from session to session when the wind changes direction or whatever, that the bouncing can appear or disappear, that it's really marginal. We are all really on the edge of this."

Ferrari has been working to understand and mitigate the factors contributing to the problem.

"We have some metrics to imagine if we'll be in a better shape or not, but at the end of the day we are also pushed by the performance that we could gain with a bit more downforce sometimes," Vasseur noted.

Ferrari's bouncing problem

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc started on pole last weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix but could only keep his lead for three laps.

The Silver Arrows appeared much stronger than the Scuderia and with Hamilton earning his 105th win at Spa, he may be starting to regret his move for next season.

Despite the challenges, Vasseur believes the team has made significant strides. "I think we made a huge step forward, but everybody made a huge step forward on this,” he admitted.

“The issue is that we are developing much closer to the limit, and at the end of the day we are always playing with this bouncing to stay close. And if you overshoot, you have to do a step back.”

Team principal Fred Vasseur will hope to fix Ferrari's issues before Hamilton's arrival

With the arrival of Lewis Hamilton in 2025, solving this problem will be crucial to ensuring a smooth transition and maintaining a competitive edge.

The forthcoming races will be pivotal for Ferrari as they strive to close the gap with the leading teams and solidify their position in the championship standings.