Lewis Hamilton hails ‘tremendous’ Ferrari chief who’s now under pressure after dire season

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Ferrari watched McLaren win the 2025 F1 constructors’ title with six rounds of the season spare, while they stomached yet more misery at the Singapore Grand Prix.

The close of the 2025 F1 season cannot come soon enough for Ferrari, whose team principal Fred Vasseur thought the Scuderia could fight for both titles before the year. Lewis Hamilton joining to partner with Charles Leclerc was supposed to be the final piece of Ferrari’s puzzle.

Yet Vasseur conceded the 2025 F1 constructors’ title to McLaren in August, after falling 299 points behind the papaya crew over the first 14 rounds of this season’s 24. Four rounds later, Ferrari are now only third in the teams’ standings and they even trail McLaren by 352 points.

The Singapore GP last weekend was just the latest dire outing for the pride of Italy so far this year, as well. Hamilton earned a five-second penalty in the Singapore GP for exceeding track limits after a late brake issue, which dropped him from P7 to P8 as Leclerc only achieved P6.

Lewis Hamilton hails Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur’s ‘tremendous’ support

Hamilton also continues to wait for his first Grand Prix podium with Ferrari, despite the 40-year-old never previously needing more than 10 races to reach a rostrum. The Scuderia are also the only one of F1’s top four teams yet to win a Grand Prix during the 2025 campaign.

READ MORE: Who is Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur? Everything you need to know

But while Hamilton admits 2025 has not been “perfect” for Ferrari, the seven-time drivers’ champion believes they will come back “stronger”. The Briton has also praised Vasseur for his support, as well as the Frenchman’s commitment to focusing on the car’s performance.

“Fred’s support for me has been tremendous,” Hamilton told Motorsport.com. “It’s not the perfect year, as we know, but there are a lot of lessons learned. I think we’re only going to get stronger. I think, as a team, we’re more united and supportive now than ever before.”

Hamilton also added: “I always had a lot of admiration for him when I was in the lower categories, just the way he worked with the team. He’s a straightforward guy, obviously incredibly competitive, but I always admired how he worked.

“I came from a few different teams that were more focused on where they spent their money in other areas, while he was all about aerodynamics and performance.

“And that’s still what he’s completely focused on today. It’s all about the performance of the car, and I think that’s one of his strengths.”

Ferrari chairman John Elkann now wants to replace Fred Vasseur with Christian Horner

Hamilton’s latest praise for Vasseur’s efforts as Ferrari’s team principal comes at a time that the 57-year-old is once again under pressure. It is reported that John Elkann is considering a change in leadership, despite Ferrari signing Vasseur to a new contract through 2027 in July.

READ MORE: All to know on sacked Red Bull team principal Christian Horner with net worth

Vasseur survived the threat of being sacked by Ferrari earlier this year, but Red Bull sacking Christian Horner and agreeing to let the 51-year-old join a rival F1 team in 2026 has piqued Elkann’s interest. Elkann is keen for Horner to replace Vasseur given Ferrari’s endless plight.

Signing Vasseur to a contract extension back in the summer has not put Elkann off a deal to see Horner take over Ferrari. The Draveil native was due to be out of contract at the end of this year, and he even penned fresh terms after Red Bull sacked Horner at the start of July.

Horner was only stripped of his operational roles as Red Bull’s F1 CEO and team principal in July, as his contract there was set to run through the 2030 season. But Horner and Red Bull agreed on a reduced severance package in September to formalise his exit from the team.