Fred Vasseur Remains Untroubled by Lewis Hamilton’s Slump at Mercedes

There isn’t long left before Lewis Hamilton officially switches allegiance to Ferrari. He will leave Mercedes as an icon, but admittedly won’t look back at his last season there with pride. His struggles continued in the penultimate race of 2024 as he finished P12 in Qatar on Sunday, a race so difficult that he even contemplated retiring the car at one point.

Although Hamilton has had two wins this year, his overall performances have been sub-par. He hasn’t been comfortable with the car, especially on a one-lap pace, evidenced by his 5-18 qualifying record against teammate George Russell. Hamilton’s confidence too, has been shaken — something previously unseen in his long and illustrious F1 career.

Do the shortcomings and lack of self-belief concern Ferrari boss Fred Vasseuer, however? “Not at all,” he responded confidently in Qatar.

The Frenchman sees no reason to worry about Hamilton’s capabilities and is choosing to focus on the positives. He pointed to Hamilton’s impressive performance in Las Vegas two weeks ago, where he started 10th but finished in P2 right behind Russell. “I have a look at the 50 laps that he did in Vegas. Starting P10, finishing on the gearbox of Russell, I’m not worried at all,” the Frenchman added.

Vasseur’s comments reflected a common sentiment in the paddock that Hamilton’s struggles this year have not entirely been his fault. The W15 has been difficult to drive in, and despite using all his experience to get used to the car, Hamilton has failed.

Hamilton receives surprising words of encouragement from his arch-rival

Hamilton, who sounded defeated during his nightmarish Qatar GP on Sunday, joked, “I’m definitely not fast anymore.” It is a statement that the majority of the F1 community would disagree with, and the fact that Max Verstappen stood up for him, proves that even more.

Verstappen, who was Hamilton’s arch-rival in his 2021 title quest, believes Hamilton’s talent is far from fading away. To him, the seven-time World Champion is as motivated as ever. “I don’t think he will ever lose it,” the 27-year-old said. “He has achieved so much. It is a new challenge for him next year.”

Currently, Hamilton lacks inspiration, and it would be difficult to blame him for that. But Ferrari offers a much more optimistic environment, considering the progress they have shown in 2024. Once he gets a good car underneath him, the Stevenage-born driver will surely get his mojo back.