Lewis Hamilton says it’s “not nice” to read the speculation about Fred Vasseur’s job as Ferrari team boss being under scrutiny.

A raft of speculation in the Italian media on Thursday has suggested that Vasseur is facing great scrutiny in his role as team boss, with Ferrari’s WEC boss being presented as a possible option to succeed him in the role.

Lewis Hamilton: I love working with Fred Vasseur

According to Italy’s Corriere dello Serra, Vasseur has come under scrutiny following Ferrari’s drop back from competing at the very front, having ended 2024 with perhaps the fastest car on the grid.

But the SF-25 hasn’t hit the same highs as last year’s car, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton struggling to consistently finish on the podium as McLaren and Red Bull have led the way in terms of victories.

Trailing McLaren by 197 points after the first nine race weekends of the championship, the chances of a championship appear all but over with momentum on McLaren’s side – and it’s led to the suggestions that Vasseur’s job could be in jeopardy.

Instead, the speculation suggests, Ferrari WEC boss Antonello Coletta could be the man being eyed up for the role – Coletta having overseen Ferrari’s two consecutive Le Mans 24 Hours victories over the past two years.

Upon being approached by PlanetF1.com, Ferrari has dismissed the speculation out of hand as being a complete fabrication.

Speaking ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton addressed the speculation and said the French executive is the primary reason why he was tempted to join the Scuderia in the first place, having been approached by Vasseur at the tail end of 2023.

“It’s definitely not nice to hear that there are stories like that that are out there,” he said.

“Firstly, I love working with Fred.

“Fred’s the main reason I’m in this team and got the opportunity to be here, which I’m forever grateful for. And we’re in this together. We’re working hard in the background.

“Things aren’t perfect, but for me, as I said, I’m here to work with the team, but also with Fred.

“I want Fred here. I do believe Fred is the person to take us to the top.”

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Lewis Hamilton: Please stop making stuff up

The speculation has even seen Ferrari linked with attempting to have snaffled up Red Bull team boss Christian Horner from his role, with the British executive firmly stating that his “heart and soul is with Red Bull” as he spoke in an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com.

The suggestion that Vasseur has come under scrutiny in his role first emerged over the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, but escalated upon the publishing of the report in Corriere dello Sport on Thursday.

It left Hamilton unimpressed by the claims, and he clarified that he would not be, at all, in favour of seeing Vasseur replaced.

“Ultimately, it’s nonsense what people have written. Most people don’t know what’s going on in the background,” he said.

“It isn’t all easy, it’s not like it’s all the smoothest sailing in the background. We are having to make changes, and it’s a lot of work to do, and there is, naturally, a lot of pressure because we want to win.

“But that’s not any part of the discussion at the moment.

“I don’t think that’s on the cards, as far as I’m aware, and that’s certainly not something that I would be supportive of.

Vasseur took over from Mattia Binotto as Ferrari team boss ahead of the 2023 season and has overseen the Scuderia taking a clear step forward in terms of organisation and strategic nous, as well as becoming one of the quickest cars on the grid during 2024.

It was this improvement that saw expectations ramp up this season, particularly after the signing of Hamilton, a seven-time F1 World Champion chasing a record-breaking eighth.

But Ferrari’s decision to go in a different direction with its car design – primarily on the front suspension – has left the Scuderia fighting over the scraps.

With Hamilton also struggling to hit the ground running immediately, it’s led to what could be seen as backlash from partisan media.

Certainly, Hamilton believes Vasseur needs to be given plenty more time to make the changes and mould the team how he wants, particularly ahead of a revolutionary regulations change in F1 2026, and that he and Vasseur are in it for the duration.

“I mean, embedding new people, new personnel – whether it’s a driver or whether it’s engineers or people who run an organisation – it takes time to adjust, and the impact that has is significant,” he said.

“So, yeah, that’s not part of the discussion. I’m here to win with Fred, and he has my full support.

“To everyone that’s writing stories of me considering not racing, I literally only just started, my first year here with Ferrari and I’m here for several years.

“I’m here for the long haul. So there is no question about where my head is at and what I’m working towards achieving with this team.

“So there’s zero doubts. So please stop making up stuff.”

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