Lewis Hamilton has pushed Fred Vasseur to say something he’s ‘never’ admitted at Ferrari before

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One of the main reasons why Lewis Hamilton decided to ditch Mercedes after 12 seasons to join Ferrari was team principal Fred Vasseur.

Fred Vasseur took on the role of team principal at Ferrari in 2023, hoping to end their long wait for a drivers’ or constructors’ championship.

The last time Ferrari won a title was 2008, when they missed out on a double because of Lewis Hamilton’s last-gasp move on Timo Glock at the Brazilian Grand Prix, denying Felipe Massa what would have been his only championship.

Since then, the likes of Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel have failed to end that drought, but Hamilton doesn’t want to emulate Ferrari’s other failed contenders as he begins his 19th season on the grid.

Unfortunately, things haven’t gone to plan for the seven-time world champion since his move from Mercedes.

Hamilton has struggled to copy Charles Leclerc and learn how to drive a Ferrari from the Monegasque star, and finds himself 42 points behind his teammate.

However, neither driver has achieved a victory yet, and Hamilton has delivered documents to Ferrari staff, explaining where the team can improve and learn.

Journalists and Ferrari experts Franco Nugnes and Antonio Ghini have been studying Hamilton’s start to life at the Scuderia, and believe he’s forced Vasseur to admit something he’s ‘never’ said before.

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Lewis Hamilton has ‘confusion’ in his head after forcing Fred Vasseur into a position he ‘never’ takes

Nugnes was asked on the Motorsport Italia YouTube channel about Vasseur’s interview and the way he spoke about Hamilton.

He explained: “The feeling I have reading between the lines of the interview, and my feeling is that Lewis is pushing to achieve a result that is either you listen to me or I’ll break everything.

“That was kind of the feeling. The strange thing is that it was said by the team principal, who usually never takes a clear position.

Ghini replied: “It’s not a reflection that doesn’t have a logical basis, thinking about Hamilton the man, who dressed as Enzo Ferrari, ready for something, who had so many expectations, who was coming off a disappointment at Mercedes.

“This is a man who’s saying, I’m racing, I wanted to do this, this year I can’t do it, what do I do in the future? I’m moving on, I’m stopping, in the meantime, I’m trying to do some business.

“I think there’s a certain confusion in Hamilton’s head today, but in the sense that one is confused, not because he is not capable, intelligent, etc., but because one loses certainties.”

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

What Fred Vasseur has said about Lewis Hamilton’s first season at Ferrari

Vasseur was speaking to Auto Motor und Sport in the summer break, and asked about Hamilton’s start to life at Ferrari. He admitted: It’s often the circumstances, and Lewis has been unlucky a lot recently. In Budapest, he was ahead of Charles in Q1 and only a tenth slower in Q2. He was 15 thousandths of a second short of advancing. In the end, one finished first and the other twelfth.

“That looks stupid, of course. But we weren’t far off, and we would have finished eleventh and twelfth with our two drivers. Looking back, I have to admit that we – and by that I mean Lewis and I – underestimated the change to a different environment.

“He had been with the same team for 18 years before that, if I can call McLaren and Mercedes our home. It was an English team, and the engine environment always remained the same. There’s a bigger difference between Ferrari and Mercedes than between Mercedes and McLaren.

“When Lewis arrived at Ferrari, we naively thought he would have everything under control. He’s not like Carlos Sainz, who changes teams every few years and would be familiar with this process. It took Lewis four or five races to get the situation under control. Since the Canadian GP, ​​he’s actually been on track.”

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How Lewis Hamilton played a key role in Fred Vasseur extending his contract at Ferrari

Vasseur and Hamilton both want the same thing at Ferrari, but where they might disagree is on how to reach that point.

Hamilton wants to become F1’s first eight-time world champion, and Vasseur wants to be the first team principal since 2008 to win a title with the Scuderia.

The work Hamilton is doing behind the scenes, influenced by his time at McLaren and Mercedes, might be very different to what Ferrari and Vasseur are used to.

However, Hamilton and Leclerc desperately wanted Vasseur to sign a new contract, understanding how important he has become to Ferrari functioning as a team.

The pressure is likely to grow on both Hamilton and Vasseur, though, if they can’t deliver the results that the Tifosi constantly demand.