Lewis Hamilton: Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur says convincing seven-time world champion to join was ‘not difficult’ | F1 News

Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur says it was “not difficult at all” to convince Lewis Hamilton to join the team from 2025 and he is not concerned by the seven-time champion’s troubled qualifying form in his final season at Mercedes.

Wasser also said the prospect of a competitive team-mate battle between Hamilton and Charles Leclerc would ultimately be good for the team as they look to return to world championship glory.

The Frenchman was speaking at a traditional Christmas lunch with the media at Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello, just weeks before Hamilton officially joins the team, which was first revealed in February.

While the timing of the blockbuster move ultimately came out of the blue, Wasser, Hamilton’s former team boss in the junior categories in the mid-2000s, admitted that signing the 39-year-old was ultimately a no-brainer.

“In 2023 we won more races than Mercedes and the start of the season was also good, so it wasn’t too difficult to convince him that Ferrari would be a good project,” Wasser said.

“And I think he had in mind the project of driving for Ferrari for at least 22 or 23 years, because we were discussing this in 2004.

“That meant it wasn’t that hard.

“I think sometimes it’s also a matter of coincidence, or all the planets aligning, that he’s in the market and that Ferrari has a seat available and so on.

“But communication was easy, we started discussing a year ago and it wasn’t difficult at all to convince him.”

Wasser “never, never, never bothered” in Hamilton fashion

Before the Briton arrives at Italy’s prolific national team as the most successful driver in F1 history, Hamilton, who turns 40 on January 7, has seen his final year at Mercedes derailed by uncharacteristically poor qualifying form.

Hamilton even suggested at the penultimate round of the season in Qatar that he was “definitely not fast anymore” after finishing seventh in the sprint while team-mate George Russell was on the front row.

But when asked what he made of such comments, Wasser pointed to Hamilton’s charge from 16th to fourth at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as proof of his new driver’s unstoppable speed.

“Ask Russell the question on Sunday,” said Vasseur, referring to Hamilton, who overtook his team-mate late in the season.

“I think he had a difficult time in qualifying, but I also don’t think that qualifying for Abu Dhabi, for example, is related to Lewis’ performance.

“He had a very good race in Vegas and Abu Dhabi. And I never, ever, ever worried about this situation, and I’m not criticizing Lewis or Mercedes. And I can I understand that if it doesn’t go well, you can get hurt in this relationship.

“He wasn’t very good in his mind, but in Brazil, for example, he was clear about it. But he also did very well in the last two events, so I’m not worried at all.”

“Leclerc and Hamilton have a great mutual respect”

Since taking over at Ferrari at the start of 2023, Wasser has clearly adopted an approach that neither Leclerc nor team-mate Carlos Sainz have been prioritised.

The Frenchman insists he will look to maintain the same balance with his new driver pairing, insisting the rivalry between Leclerc and Sainz has been a key factor in the team’s overall progress.

in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News“I prefer to fight for one or two than for 19-20, that’s clear.

“I think that’s part of the performance as well. Obviously, the last two years I’ve let them race on the track and it’s been to the team’s advantage because the emulation we’ve created has been part of the recovery when we’ve had some tough times.

“They (Leclerc and Sainz) had a lot of respect between them.”

Hamilton and Leclerc have enjoyed a respectful relationship since the Monegasque joined the grid in 2018 and Wasser is confident that can continue at Ferrari.

He added: “Charles-Lewis, I’m not particularly worried about it. They have great mutual respect, they know each other, they have been talking about it for months.

When will Hamilton drive a Ferrari for the first time?

While Hamilton won’t be able to drive Ferrari’s 2025 rival until pre-season testing in Bahrain on February 26-28, there is plenty of interest when the Briton takes to the track in the older model of the car.

Vasseur said the unpredictable winter weather at Ferrari’s private Fiorano circuit meant he could not give an exact date, but what he expected would be an “emotional” first outing in red for Hamilton at some point in January.

“Probably yes, but we depend on the weather, it’s not easy in January,” Wasser said.

“It’s true, it’s pretty emotional because I think he’s had this moment in his mind for probably 20 years. That means it’s going to be emotional, but it’s got to be emotional in one spin and then it’s focused.”

Vasseur said Ferrari did not plan to hold any special media event to introduce Hamilton as a Ferrari driver, with the team principal considering the official start of the F1 season on February 18, with Ferrari’s own start a day later sufficient. :

“We will have the first test days with TPC (Testing Of Previous Cars) and Pirelli and then the start of the championship first (at The O2) on the 18th. (in February) then the car launches on the 19th and then we go straight to Bahrain and it’s going to be a tough sequence until Melbourne.

“But it’s true, it’s a short preparation because we have about four weeks in the factory before the first event, but that’s how it is.”

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