Lewis Hamilton and Fred Vasseur have a long-standing relationship that stems back to the days of the former’s junior career. Vasseur even spoke about this during Ferrari’s launch day earlier this season, describing why Hamilton is the right fit for the team.
Hamilton will end his 11-year association with Mercedes and join Ferrari in 2025. And Vasseur’s presence in the team had a lot to do with the seven-time World Champion deciding on his Maranello switch.
At Ferrari’s SF-24 car launch, Vasseur said, We know each other almost by heart.”
The Frenchman detailed how having a driver of Hamilton’s expertise and caliber would do wonders for Ferrari, a team looking to get back to the top of F1 by winning the World Championship. Talking about Hamilton’s time in Mercedes, he said:
“Someone who is still one of the fastest drivers on the grid and finished 50 points ahead of Russell last year.”
❤️‼️Fred Vasseur on Sir Lewis Hamilton in 2024 launch day interviews :
“…we know each other almost by heart…”
“someone who is still one of the fastest drivers on the grid…finished 50 points ahead of Russell last year.” ♀️
(because some of you seem to forget this… pic.twitter.com/KP2J4ZW1Vd— sim (@sim3744) May 12, 2024
Hamilton drove for Vasseur’s team in F3 and GP2. There, he also acted as his mentor. And what’s more, under him, the Stevenage-born driver won the GP2 title in his rookie season, which earned him a spot on the F1 grid the very next year.
Now, in 2025, Hamilton will be looking to create history with Vasseur once again. This time in Formula 1, which will bring Ferrari’s long wait for Championship glory to an end.
Ferrari looks to perfect championship bid on the back of Lewis Hamilton signing
Hamilton revealed that Vasseur played a crucial role in getting his deal with the Maranello-based outfit finalized. Without his presence, it is very possible that Hamilton would not have become a Ferrari driver.
Speaking about his move to Ferrari, Grandprix247 quoted Hamilton,
“I think it really wouldn’t have happened without him. So I’m really grateful and really excited about the work that he’s doing there.”
Piero Ferrari speaking to Adrian Newey before the Sprint.
— Ferrari News (@FanaticsFerrari) May 4, 2024
Meanwhile, Hamilton’s signing could signify more than just a blockbuster driver move for the iconic Italian team. With Adrian Newey becoming a free agent from 2025 onwards, Hamilton’s presence at Ferrari could be the ace up Vasseur’s sleeve if he wants to lure the British engineer to his team.
With the moves that Fred Vasseur and Ferrari have been making in the paddock, the outfit is certainly looking to build a Championship-dominating dream team.
