Ferrari chief responds to Lewis Hamilton doubts: “He will be able to perform”

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur remains entirely confident in Lewis Hamilton’s abilities as he continues to adapt to the Scuderia in Australia this weekend. Despite the seven-time world champion finishing 12th in his first practice session of the 2025 Formula 1 season, the Frenchman is trusting the process of integrating him into the team.

Speaking after FP1, where Hamilton finished six-tenths behind his team-mate Charles Leclerc, the team chief dismissed concerns surrounding his initial pace.

The Australian Grand Prix is the Briton’s first race weekend wearing red after his move from Mercedes – a team he’d spent over a decade winning six of his seven world championships. But Vasseur is maintaining a methodical approach as they integrate their new star driver into the team.

 ”The target is for him to know everybody into the team, to discover the software, the process, the system,” Vasseur explained to the media, including Motorsport.com.

He explained that while there may be similarities between the Brackley and Maranello outfits, there will still be a learning curve for the 40-year-old.

“I’m really convinced that we have something very similar to Mercedes, but at the end of the day, perhaps not with the same name or the same way to use them.”

Even for a driver of Hamilton’s experience and caliber, it’s clear that there is plenty of work still to be done to fully embed himself.

A key part of Hamilton’s training included Ferrari’s Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) program. 

“Yeah. And it’s just a learning process, but we did one or two days there with the TPC, one month or two months ago, it was the good way to approach it.2

These TPC sessions, behind the wheel of Ferrari’s older machinery in January and February, was Hamilton’s introduction into the team’s systems. But they are controlled to a high degree.

“Nothing compares to the race weekend, you know that. I mean, we have to go through and we have to do it, but I’m not worried at all about this.

“ I have absolutely no doubt that he will be able to perform, and to perform soon. And, last year, I think that Carlos was P8 or P9 in free practice and he won the race.”

While Hamilton is committed to maximising his performance this season, his long-term ambitions will lie in 2026 as the regulations change. With a season to adapt fully, he can hit the ground running as each team starts from nil next year.