Ferrari team principal Frederick Vasser says Lewis Hamilton is guilty of “exaggerating” his matters in a car during the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Hamilton endured the unfortunate first 14 races at Ferrari, not finishing in the top three at any Grand Prix.
This compares with Charles Leclerc, who won five podiums this year, including his last pole position at Hungary’s Grand Prix.
Hamilton has made some progress around Canada’s Grand Prix, outwards Leclair in three times in four races, but his confidence knocked before summer break.
Hamilton was knocked out twice in the first quarter at Spa and wrapped in Hungary and finished outside the point.
In an interview with the German publication Auto Motor und Sport, Vasseur made the prominent claim that Hamilton “occasionally exaggerates the issues he saw with his cars.”
“We’ll solve the problem step by step,” explained Vasseur. “They aren’t that big, they just look like that.
“If the braking system isn’t completely stating how the driver wants it, maybe a tenth of it will be lost there. From the outside, it’s often difficult to quickly identify where he’s losing half of that.
“This minimal time lag can ruin the entire weekend. That could be the difference between Q2 and Q3. Lewis can exaggerate the problems he sees with his cars.
“The team then wants to respond naturally and everyone jumps at the problem.”
Hamilton: “The extremes of his reaction”
Lewis Hamilton conducted several downbeat interviews after this year’s difficult session.
In Hungary, Hamilton called himself “useless” and suggested that Ferrari should consider changing drivers.
Lewis Hamilton and Frederick Vaserre
Vasseur feels that when Hamilton speaks to the media shortly after he gets out of the car, he is too “self-critical” and is too hard on himself.
“Calm down,” added Vasser. “Build on the fact that he has already taken the first step. Don’t beat you anything like what happened in Budapest.
“Lewis is very self-critical. He is always extreme in his reactions. Sometimes he is too difficult in the car, sometimes too hard on himself.
“He wants to make the most of himself and everyone on his team. You have to calm him down and explain that in the second quarter (Hungary), he is only a tenth of the second second of the driver (LecLerc), who later took pole position. That’s not a big deal.
“The messages he sends just make things worse. Most of the time, he’s all in the press. By the time he comes to the briefing room, he usually settles down again. That’s how he does it.
“It’s not a big deal for me. He demands a lot, not just from others, but from himself.