Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur insists the SF-25 was not as “horrible” as Lewis Hamilton was making out on Friday at the Spanish Grand Prix.

That response comes after Hamilton voiced his displeasure at the wheel of the Ferrari car on several occasions, the seven-time World Champion ending the day outside of the top 10 and just shy of eighth tenths off the ultimate pace set by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari complaints: Too ‘extreme’ at Spanish GP?

Hamilton featured in the top three in FP1, 0.378s down on the McLaren driven by Lando Norris in top spot, though that did not stop Hamilton from feeling underwhelmed, as he told race engineer Riccardo Adami “that was bad” towards the end of the opening hour of practice.

And during the second session, Hamilton would describe his Ferrari as “not driveable”. He finished P11, 0.773s slower than Piastri and almost three tenths adrift of team-mate Charles Leclerc, on the first day of running since the new FIA Technical Directive on front wing flexing came into force.

Debriefing Ferrari’s day with Sky F1, team principal Fred Vasseur said: “I think we had a very good pace this morning. We struggled a bit more in the afternoon.

“We had, I think, a decent lap with Charles before the mistake Turn 7. It was in advance on [F]P1. But the target is to put a lap together, not to do some good corners.

“And then we struggled a bit more at the beginning of each stint on the long stint. I think it was true for us, but true for a couple of other cars. The track was very dirty with a lot of marbles. As soon as you were out of the line, it was quite difficult to recover.

“Overall, it was a long day, and we collected also good information. And it was the first time that we are running the front wing.”

More on the FIA front wing Technical Directive

👉 McLaren telemetry data delivers blow to rivals as flexi-wings TD arrives

👉 Explaining F1’s phantom updates and why McLaren do have a new front wing after all

2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg was trackside on Friday and alarmingly branded Ferrari’s SF-25 the “worst car” he had observed, citing “more understeer and more snap oversteer” compared to rivals.

To Rosberg’s analysis, Vasseur replied: “It’s not a secret that we are struggling a little bit with the balance of the car, but we have to improve on this.

“But as long as we are able to correct it and to have a good race, I don’t find that it was the case the last couple of weekends.

“We have to improve on one lap, clearly, but I think it’s more tyre management and to put the tyres on the right window at the beginning of the lap. That’s something else, then the balance is not perfect. It’s true, but it’s true for us, I think it’s true also for the others.”

At that point, Vasseur was asked for his take on Hamilton’s concerning verdicts over team radio.

However, “extreme” was a term that Vasseur found more appropriate, as he questioned how valid Hamilton’s comments really were.

“The comments were a bit extreme on the radio today,” said Vasseur on Hamilton, “but he did also a strong last stint with the soft in the lap time of the first two.

“It means that the car was not so horrible than he said in the radio.

“But again, the comments that they are doing when they are into the car, for me, it’s not a drama.”

Ferrari sit P4 in the Constructors’ Championship ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix. McLaren already appear to be marching towards back-to-back Constructors’ crowns, but P2 is realistic for Ferrari, with Red Bull only one point ahead and Mercedes five.

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