Ferrari Chief Comments On 'Emotional' Aspect Of Lewis Hamilton Signing

Saajan Jogia | Dec 22, 2024

Fred Vasseur / Ferrari Press Image

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has opened up on Lewis Hamilton's 20-year-old dream of driving a Ferrari F1 car, as the seven-time world champion prepares to join the Maranello-based squad in a few days and is expected to test one of the team's old cars of the current ground effect era in January. Vasseur acknowledged that it would be an emotional moment for Hamilton as his long-time wish would finally be fulfilled.

Hamilton's wish will finally materialize a year after his shock signing with Ferrari as he embarks on a quest for his record-breaking eighth world title. Beyond chasing the championship, joining Formula 1's most iconic and oldest team fulfills a lifelong aspiration shared by many drivers in the sport.

Commenting on the Briton's first track outing in a Ferrari, Vasseur joked that while it will be an emotional moment, he emphasized that the emotions should last one lap, followed by a return to his competitive form. He told Sky Sports F1:

“Yeah, it’s true that it’s quite emotional, because I think he has this moment in his mind for probably 20 years.

“It means that it will be emotional, but it has to be emotional for one lap! And then, to be focussed.

“You know that every single team is different for sure, but we are all chasing the same goal with the same approach.

“What is a bit different is the passion or the emotion around the team, but I think Lewis is well prepared to manage this. I think it’s much easier to arrive somewhere when the passion is at the top than the opposite. I’m not worried at all.”

Vasseur added that Hamilton would arrive with his own experience to fill in the small gaps that make a huge difference, especially after Ferrari lost the Constructors' Championship to McLaren this season by just 14 points. He explained:

“We are in the situation that we are fighting for details that average on the grid, the car in front of us is three hundredths of a second faster.

“At the end [of 2024], you are fighting for 14 points in the championship. It’s one DNF from the season, or it’s one strategic decision, or whatever – it means that every single detail will make the difference.

“And Lewis is coming with a huge experience, a huge experience of championships, of the background from Mercedes, or, let’s say, certitude on himself, and this will help the team to continue to grow up and to improve step by step.”

The team boss acknowledged that the time frame for Hamilton to get acclimatized to a new car is short but considering his extensive F1 experience, it won't be a challenge for him. Hamilton will first test in an older F1 car with a Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) session, followed by a Pirelli test before getting his hands on the 2025 title contender during pre-season testing in Bahrain. Vasseur said:

“It’s not because it’s Lewis that we have to do differently, he will come with his own experience, with his own background, but we don’t have to change the approach.

“I’m sure that Lewis understands this perfectly, and we’ll have the first test days with TPC [testing of previous cars, ed.] and Pirelli and then the launch of the car, the launch of the championship, and then we’ll go directly to Bahrain, and it will be a tough sequence until Melbourne.

“But it’s true that it’s a short preparation, and because [of] that, we have something like four weeks at the factory before the first event. But it is like it is.”