Ferrari F1 boss makes Lewis Hamilton plea after slow start

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Imola, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

Formula 1

Ferrari boss makes Lewis Hamilton plea after slow start

Lewis Hamilton's debut season with Ferrari has already been a rollercoaster for the champion

Originally written by Sheona Mountford. This version is a translation.

Thursday 22 May 2025 19:00

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has pleaded with the media to tone down their sensationalist takes about Lewis Hamilton's season.

The 40-year-old has had a mixed start to his Scuderia tenure, with the team dropping pace to McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull over the winter after fighting for the constructors' title last year.

The Brit’s relationship with race engineer Ricciardo Adami has also been placed under the microscope, and his team radio messages from the Miami GP went viral after Hamilton's ‘take a tea break’ comment.

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However, Vasseur has called for an end to the constant commentary surrounding Hamilton, and was forced to make drastic plea when he spoke to the media after the Emilia-Romagana GP.

The Frenchman demanded that the press stop sensationalising every negative word or result from Hamilton, and reminded people that it was a normal process for the drivers to go through.

“It is clear that communication can improve, and we have to help him feel more and more at ease. But even Charles [Leclerc], even today, improves weekend after weekend. It is a normal process that all drivers go through, trying to improve themselves.”

Can Hamilton and Ferrari recover lost form in 2025?

Despite Vasseur’s protest, it is clear Ferrari have a large pace deficit to rival teams such as Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren, particularly in qualifying where the team were confronted with a Q2 exit for both Hamilton and Leclerc.

Ferrari will introduce a significant upgrade to the car in Spain next weekend, with Vasseur naming the race in Barcelona as a potential turning point for the championship.

From the Spanish GP onwards, the FIA will introduce their new technical directive which is focused on clamping down on the use of flexible wings with stricter tests imposed on the front wing.

Both Vasseur and Red Bull boss Christian Horner have theorised that McLaren’s use of the flexi-wing has offered them a pace advantage at the beginning of the 2025 season, and will be hoping that the clampdown in Barcelona will level the playing field.

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Red Bull Lewis Hamilton Mercedes McLaren Charles Leclerc Fred Vasseur