Ferrari ‘not worried’ after Lewis Hamilton’s worst-ever season

Seven-time F1 world champion Hamilton leaves Mercedes for Ferrari next season

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur insists he is unconcerned about Lewis Hamilton’s form after the F1 legend recorded his worst season in F1 in 2024.

Hamilton finished seventh in the 2024 drivers’ standings – his lowest position in 18 seasons – and lost 19-5 to his Mercedes teammate George Russell in qualifying head-to-head.

The seven-time world champion has questioned his own qualifying record but Vasseur, who lured Hamilton to Ferrari for 2025 and worked with the Briton in junior formula, insists his form has no bearing on the skill of the man himself.

"I think he had a tough moment in qualifying,” Vasseur told Sky Sports. “But also I don’t think that the qualifying of Abu Dhabi, for example, was linked to the performance of Lewis.

"He had very good races in Vegas and in Abu Dhabi. And I was never - really, never, never, never - worried about this situation.

“This situation, and I don’t criticise Lewis or Mercedes, but this situation is not easy to manage. And I can understand that if it’s not going very well, you can suffer in this relationship.

"He was not very well in his mind, but he was clear in Brazil about this, for example. But he also did very well in the last couple of events, so I’m not worried at all."

Vasseur also revealed he expects Hamilton to drive a Ferrari F1 car for the first time in January, likely at the Fiorano Circuit near Ferrari’s Maranello HQ.

"Probably yes but we are dependent on the weather, it’s not easy in January," Vasseur said.

Lewis Hamilton is leaving Mercedes to join rivals Ferrari (Getty Images/The Independent)

"It’s true that it’s quite emotional because I think he has this moment in his mind for probably 20 years. That means it will be emotional - but it has to be emotional for one lap and then to be focused!"

"We will have the first test days with TPC [Testing Of Previous Cars] and Pirelli and then the launch of the championship first [at The O2] on the 18th[of February], then the launch of the car on the 19th and then we will go directly to Bahrain and it will be a tough sequence until Melbourne.

"But it’s true that it’s a short preparation because we have something like four weeks at the factory before the first event, but it is like it is."

The first race of the 2025 season is on 16 March in Australia.