Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur has expressed his full understanding of Lewis Hamilton’s frustration during the Hungarian Grand Prix, after a complicated weekend for the seven-time champion. After qualifying in twelfth position on Saturday, Hamilton stated he felt “useless”, even suggesting that Ferrari “probably needs to change drivers”, while his teammate Charles Leclerc achieved pole position.
After finishing Sunday’s race in the same position, Hamilton admitted to feeling “the same” as the day before.
When asked if he had a plan to motivate Hamilton during the summer break and improve his performances, Vasseur replied that such a conversation would not be necessary.
Vasseur added that he understands the situation, pointing out that reactions after a race can be impulsive, but that everyone on the team is working in the same direction. The Ferrari boss insists that the difference between Leclerc and Hamilton was not as big as it seemed in qualifying, with Hamilton only 0.015 seconds away from advancing to the next round. Vasseur believes that Hamilton’s frustration comes from his high expectations and his desire to compete at the top. Vasseur highlighted that Hamilton is demanding of himself, which is one of the reasons for his success. The team principal acknowledged the difficulty of the situation for Hamilton, but also recalled that in Q1 Hamilton was ahead of Leclerc, and in Q2 he was within a tenth of a second. Vasseur concluded by stating that Hamilton’s frustration is understandable.I don’t need to motivate him. Honestly, he’s frustrated, but not demotivated. It’s a completely different story.
Fred Vasseur
