Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur says he understands Lewis Hamilton’s downbeat comments after the Las Vegas Grand Prix and that he values what drivers say away from the immediate heat of the moment.
Hamilton’s disappointing first season at Ferrari hit another low point in Sin City, with the seven-time world champion again expressing frustration in media interviews. He qualified last in wet conditions — the first time in his 19-season career he had been slowest on pace alone — and finished 10th on the road in the race (promoted to eighth after two McLaren disqualifications), behind Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg.
Afterwards, Hamilton told Sky Sports F1: “I feel terrible” and described 2025 as his “worst season” in F1, adding that “no matter how much I try, it just keeps getting worse”. He also told written media that, given his current form, Ferrari were “done” in their bid to reclaim second in the Constructors’ Championship over the final two races, and told BBC Radio he was even “not looking forward” to “next season”.
Asked about Hamilton’s comments in a later media session, Vasseur said: “I can understand the reaction from Lewis just after the race. But we just have to calm down, to discuss and to be focused on the next two [races] because the next two, we’ll be back. Keep in mind also that Lewis was there in FP1, FP2 and the pace was good. We have to build up the weekend like this and I think to start from P20 is not the best way.”
Known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, Las Vegas was not the first time Hamilton has aired his frustrations this season. After qualifying in Hungary he called himself “useless” and suggested Ferrari “probably need to change driver” after taking 12th on the grid while team-mate Charles Leclerc claimed pole. Following a difficult Sao Paulo weekend, where early damage ended his race, Hamilton said he was living a “nightmare” because of his lack of results.
Those public complaints prompted Ferrari chairman John Elkann to say the team’s drivers needed to “focus more on driving and talk less” as Ferrari slid to fourth in the Constructors’ standings. Vasseur defended drivers’ immediate reactions, arguing that post-race interviews capture raw emotion and adrenaline.
“The TV pen five minutes after the race when you have had a tough race is very hard for them. You can perfectly understand the adrenaline, the emotion,” he said. “I prefer to have drivers being very open at the end of the race when you didn’t do the perfect job, when the car was not good, to say ‘I’m frustrated’ than someone going into the TV pen and saying ‘I know guys, the team is perfect, the car is good’ blah, blah, blah. In this case, you would be upset.”
Vasseur added that what matters most is actions after the weekend. “Now, the most important [thing] is not what they say in the TV pen, it’s what they do on the Monday morning with the team. They try to do better, they try to push the team to do better and this is more the job of the drivers than [what they say in] the TV pen.”
Despite the recent struggles, Vasseur pointed to positives in Hamilton’s recent performance. He acknowledged the team had “not put everything together the last two or three weekends” — citing Brazil and Mexico — which hurt them mathematically and in the championship. But he noted that, on pure pace, events such as Mexico and Austin had shown strong performance from Hamilton and the team.
“That’s why on the mathematical side and on the championship, we took a huge step down. But in terms of pure performance, I think it’s where we are not in so bad shape,” Vasseur said, urging calm and focus as Ferrari prepares for the closing rounds of the season.
