With Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari arguably have the strongest driver lineup on the 2025 grid. While most teams hesitate to have two strong drivers because of the fear of an intra-team rivalry that may get ugly, Ferrari do not seem to have any such concerns because of the past relationship both Leclerc and Hamilton share with team principal Frederic Vasseur.
Having helped groom them from a very young age, the Frenchman has been like a father figure to both drivers. Vasseur began working with Hamilton during the Briton’s days in the feeder series and helped him win both the F3 and GP2 titles.
Similarly, Vasseur worked with Leclerc not only during the Monegasque’s time at Sauber but also during his karting days. With Vasseur working so closely with both drivers, it has led to several fans labeling him as their dad.
However, the 56-year-old has now set the record straight. The Ferrari boss joked that he may not be just the father for some drivers but could also be their grandfather due to the significant age difference.
“I’m not their dad, but it’s true that they were kids when they first raced for me,” Vasseur jokingly said in an interview with Corriere della Sera. “There was a time when I was closer in age to my drivers; now for some, I could even be their grandfather”.
“I’m not their dad, but it’s true that they were kids when they first raced for me.”
Q: Does being a father help you in managing the drivers?
Fred Vasseur: It’s not difficult to manage someone who has won the World Championship seven times; sometimes it’s much tougher to… pic.twitter.com/e9eo39E17q
— sim (@simsgazette) March 6, 2025
One would wonder if Vasseur’s close relationship with both of his drivers at Ferrari would lead to an awkward situation in terms of managing them on track. There is a significant possibility that Hamilton and Leclerc may have an intra-team rivalry.
But the Frenchman is confident that both drivers are mature enough to avoid that and he has enough experience working with them to resolve any potential tussles between the two.
Vasseur’s past relationship with Hamilton and Leclerc
During the same interview, Vasseur revealed that he has known Hamilton for the past 20 years. Back in 2005, Vasseur was managing the ASM Formula 3 team when a young and hungry Hamilton joined forces with him.
Their partnership turned out to be an instant success as the Briton won the F3 title in his first year under the guidance of Vasseur, having failed to win it a year before. Hamilton then followed this up by winning the GP2 title in his first attempt in 2006 with ART Grand Prix, once again a team that was led by Vasseur.
The Frenchman has also shared a similar longstanding relationship with Leclerc. Apart from being his boss at Sauber in 2018, Vasseur also worked with Leclerc when he had launched the karting arm of ART Grand Prix in 2012. Back then, the Monegasque was one of the few drivers who competed for ART Karting.
In fact, Vasseur confused him to be the late Jules Bianchi, who was Leclerc’s godfather and mentor. “We talked about this recently, and we disagree.. (Laughs) For me, it was on the Angerville track (Essonne. Ed.), except that I am definitely confusing him with Jules (Bianchi),” he told AutoHebdo.
Cut to 2025, the two have come a long way and know each other very well on and off the track. With Hamilton joining them now, it could only strengthen Ferrari’s foundations as a unit that can make a formidable team to revive the Prancing Horse’s lost glory.
