Source: REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
[Saba Sports News] Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur made a rare show of anger after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, responding forcefully to criticism of Lewis Hamilton’s decline in form. The Frenchman bluntly dismissed the claims, stating: “It’s absolute garbage.” Amid Hamilton’s run of poor results across five races, Vasseur’s strong support reaffirmed Ferrari’s unwavering trust in Hamilton. Hamilton’s start to the season in Maranello was nothing short of a nightmare. After being disqualified at the Chinese Grand Prix for violations, he finished 31 seconds behind teammate Charles Leclerc in Saudi Arabia. When Hamilton joked about needing to “change his brain,” Vasseur countered with surprising statistics: Hamilton was only 0.1 seconds behind Leclerc in qualifying at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Even more surprising was Ferrari’s discovery that SF-25 had peculiar characteristics on high-speed corners—Leclerc could compensate for the car’s flaws with aggressive driving lines, whereas Hamilton’s traditional style clashed with the car’s setup. Internal sources reveal that this was not a capability issue but a driving philosophy clash. In my opinion, this crisis reflects the growing pains of Ferrari during its transitional phase. To catch up with Red Bull and McLaren, Ferrari took a risky approach during winter testing by adopting a radical front wing design unsuited to Hamilton’s driving style.