Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur admits that he underestimated the magnitude of the transition for Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion had a disappointing first season in Ferrari red, and according to the Frenchman, this was largely due to acclimatization. ‘He was, of course, with Mercedes for twenty years,’ explains Vasseur.
Lewis Hamilton concluded his first season in Ferrari red without a trip to the podium. Apart from success during the sprint races, the Briton never once finished on the rostrum. Expectations were high for the seven-time world champion at the start of his Scuderia adventure, and team principal Frédéric Vasseur also admits that he underestimated the change for Hamilton.
Underestimated
“I think it was difficult for Lewis. Given the twenty years he spent with Mercedes and McLaren – which was then still affiliated with Mercedes – he underwent a massive change. Personally, I underestimated the extent of the change,” Vasseur candidly admits to the Italian branch of Motorsport.com.
According to the Frenchman, ‘everything was different’ for Hamilton at Ferrari, preventing him from performing at the top of his game. As a result, the Briton quickly lost a few hundredths of a second during qualifications. “And in Q2 in Abu Dhabi, there was a tenth between the fifth and fifteenth starting positions,” Vasseur explains why the seven-time world champion was already out in Q1 at the Yas Marina Circuit. “I also think of Budapest, where Charles Leclerc was a tenth faster than Lewis (who qualified eleventh) in Q2, but ultimately won the pole position. That’s no excuse, the goal is to finish ahead of everyone, but when you analyze everything, we’re really talking about details.”
