Sebastian Vettel’s latest Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari verdict includes one worrying message for Fred Vasseur

Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel enjoyed some incredible battles down the years during their time racing against each other in Formula 1.

Both drivers made their debuts in F1 in 2007, with Lewis Hamilton bursting onto the scene with McLaren, while Sebastian Vettel arrived halfway through the year.

By the end of his second season, Hamilton had already won the drivers’ championship, but his German counterpart was already turning heads at Toro Rosso, winning the team’s first-ever F1 race at Monza.

As Hamilton struggled to replicate his early championship success at McLaren, Vettel started his era of dominance, winning four championships in a row between 2010 and 2013.

Hamilton had to watch Vettel star at the top of the sport, but his move to Mercedes eventually turned the tide.

The pair stood alongside each other on the podium on 56 occasions, the most in the sport’s history, and by the end of Vettel’s career, the animosity that existed between them had disappeared.

Now, Hamilton has followed in Vettel’s footsteps to Ferrari but isn’t having the easiest time racing for the Scuderia.

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Sebastian Vettel warns Ferrari how long Lewis Hamilton might need to get up to speed

Vettel previously offered Hamilton advice ahead of his move to Ferrari about how to deal with the team and the personnel he would be working alongside.

Speaking on the Backstage Boxengasse Podcast, Vettel was asked about Hamilton’s move and the fact that it could take half a season to adapt to driving for a new team.

In response to this, he said, “Yes, it might even take longer.

“I think it depends on so many things, I think the car wasn’t really a change for me back then, everything was different.

“The car drove completely differently, but yes, I was able to empathise with that pretty quickly.

“But, of course, it’s different people, a different environment, a different language, a different culture.

“So, I think the whole thing just hits you and everyone is different. One person may need longer, another less time time with one situation, or another situation.

“I believe he can drive, there’s no doubt about that. There is no doubt that he can do all the things that are now demanded of him.

“But, it’s also quite normal that you need a little bit of time, and I think nothing is lost yet in that sense.

“If the development suddenly takes the right path, then I think Ferrari will be in a completely different position again.

“They were very strong last year and just missed out on the constructors’ championship, so we shouldn’t write out the whole team and the two drivers now.”

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Fred Vasseur will be worried by Sebastian Vettel’s ‘might take even longer’ Lewis Hamilton claim

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur would have been delighted when he received confirmation last year that Hamilton had agreed to join the team.

They previously worked together in GP2, and considering Ferrari haven’t won a title since 2008, who better than the sport’s most successful driver to guide the team to the top of the standings once again?

Unfortunately, Hamilton has struggled to match new teammate Charles Leclerc in a car that isn’t capable of challenging McLaren’s MCL39.

Hamilton has requested changes to his car that are in the opposite direction to Leclerc, suggesting he’s not feeling as comfortable as the Monegasque driver.

Ahead of the campaign starting, Hamilton went to great lengths to get up to speed at Ferrari, but it appears that he underestimated how long it would take to acclimate to his new surroundings.

He’s already a long way behind the championship leader Oscar Piastri, and Ferrari now have a 110-point deficit to overturn to catch McLaren.