Ferrari Planning Switch of Hamilton's Engineer? Vasseur's Thoughts
Dec.22 - Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur has openly acknowledged that the Scuderia misjudged the scale of Lewis Hamilton's difficulties during his troubled first season in red.
Hamilton endured a winless 2025 campaign, managing only a single sprint victory and no grand prix podiums, as Ferrari struggled to integrate the seven-time world champion after his long Mercedes career.
Speaking ahead of Christmas, Vasseur admitted the transition proved far tougher than expected.
"We'll start in better shape," Vasseur told Sky Italia when asked about Hamilton and 2026.
"Lewis now knows the team, and we know him much better than last year. He knows every software and every tool. We'll do a better job."
But the Frenchman conceded a clear miscalculation. "Leclerc feels at home, but it was a big challenge for Hamilton," he said. "I underestimated him."
Italian media report that Ferrari are now reassessing how Hamilton is supported on the pitwall. According to Corriere della Sera, a change of race engineer - with Riccardo Adami under scrutiny - is one of several options being considered.
"We need to improve our collaboration with Lewis," Vasseur said. "He needs to learn how to get the most out of the car. At the same time, we need to better understand exactly what he needs."
Asked directly about Adami's role, Vasseur confirmed nothing is off the table. "We're evaluating all the options," he said. "Every detail counts."
German newspaper Bild, meanwhile, reported that Hamilton's Ferrari contract runs longer than previously believed. While Ferrari announced only a "multi-year" deal when signing the Briton in early 2024, Bild claims the agreement extends through 2027, with a unilateral option allowing Hamilton to continue into 2028 - potentially racing at age 43.
The same report suggested that, internally, Ferrari are aware Hamilton's marketing value alone cannot offset a lack of sporting success, with Oliver Bearman clearly waiting in the wings.
Ferrari have not commented on those claims. Vasseur says the team's mission is clear.
"Now it's Ferrari that must help him return to winning ways," Vasseur said. "We need to understand what Lewis wants and what he needs."
18 F1 Fan comments on “Ferrari Planning Switch of Hamilton's Engineer? Vasseur's Thoughts”
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Fred indicated his deal would be for three years at one point last year, but an option for 2028 is also possible, as is having an option for both 2027 & 2028 separately.
Another year of being out qualied and out pointed and the Dame is toast, Ferrari are gambling on her, im saying it now she wont deliver....
F1 looks more like a winner take all serie and maybe is not the something that suit best.
I'm trying to say this in the politest way as I see "serie" all over the internet. There is no such word in English. Perhaps you mean "series"? The presence of the letter "s" is not always indicative of a plural.
Coming away from Mercedes as no.2, Lewis' position was not that strong.
He got himself a good deal.
In my opinion Ferrari has got to start listening to Lewis because he didn't get 7 drivers titles by not telling Mercedes what he needed. Lewis has already asked numerous times for carbon composite brake's like the ones he used at Mercedes but Ferrari won't get rid of Brembo, Ferrari say that they listen to Lewis but it's clear to see that they don't & where Ricardo Adami is concerned he's got to go as the last 12 months have shown he hasn't jelled with Lewis.
I thought theyd changed the brakes...!, and they are all carbon brake materials as far as Im aware, in say the last 15yrs how many other f1 drivers have complained about the brakes in a new team?
Next year , there will be a whole new raft of excuses coming out of her mouth , best buy a new Book of Excuses now, before they sell out
Ferrari can talk it up as much as they want, but HAM going there was a big mistake, made his bank balance much bigger but he didn't need that.
The problem is his ego and Wolff booming him up.
They either forget or won't acknowledge that Merc had a huge car advantage with the hybrid era, He is a very good driver but that is why he got all those poles and wins to make him statistically ahead of everybody else.
He is behind Max , Schumacher and Senna as great drivers, I'll leave others to put those 3 in the order they think I am not ranking them in that order.
He will tarnish his legacy even more in 2026 he should have retired.
Ferrari can talk it up as much as they want, but HAM going there was a big mistake, made his bank balance much bigger but he didn't need that.
The problem is his ego and Wolff booming him up.
They either forget or won't acknowledge that Merc had a huge car advantage with the hybrid era, He is a very good driver but that is why he got all those poles and wins to make him statistically ahead of everybody else.
He is behind Max , Schumacher and Senna as great drivers, I'll leave others to put those 3 in the order they think I am not ranking them in that order.
He will tarnish his legacy even more in 2026 he should have retired.
You forget to mention that Max had a huge car advantage from 2022 on and pre 2021 was nowhere much without the car advantage. Give Lance a fast enough car and he would be world champion.
2020 Max eleven podiums and 2 wins finishing 3rd in the wdc, in only the 2nd season of rb using the Honda engine not exactly nowhere Blo
You make my point, it was down To the Honda engine, nearly there but not quite. 2021 Honda power was 100% but still not quite enough without help
But then Newey got the ground effect cars right for 22 onwards, so then top engine, top aero and top driver, i think the engine developement was fixed in those years wasnt it?
For me the interesting thing now is that cars teams and drivers are hundreds of of a second apart. The tiniest error anywhere is the difference between winning and losing.consistency is key.
Hundreds of a second is a lot more than hundredths of a second...
Max did not have the best car this year , won more races than anyone else, and got within 2 points of WDC.
He does things with a car that HAM had never done.
My point is that Ferrari got swayed by the statistics, thinking that HAM would come there and be a world beater. He was being beaten by George at the end at Merc.
Because he got all those wins and poles in the hybrid Era before ground effects then came in He believed he was the best and then you had Wolff booming him up as the goat.
Ferrari did not look objectively at how HAM was driving in 2024 only saw the statistics.
They have been burned and they can't blame anybody else.
Max may have been world champion if he had tried harder mid season. Even Hamilton in his worst ever year beat him twice.
Adami is not the problem.
Bruce McLaren had it nailed early on.
"If you start taking time off to get involved in glamour you’re not going to be a car constructor or a driver for very long.
Bruce McLaren"