Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has insisted he is not “scared” about the competition between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in 2025 hampering the team’s Formula 1 prospects.
The Italian outfit boasts a revised line-up in 2025 as seven-time champion Hamilton has replaced Carlos Sainz to partner Leclerc, who has represented the squad since 2019.
Ferrari’s latest driver pairing has been billed as the strongest on the entire grid and the one that could deliver an end to the side’s extensive title drought dating back to 2008.
But Vasseur, now in his third season at the helm, has dismissed such concerns, citing that having two well-matched drivers has served Ferrari well since his appointment.
“Well, it’s always an opportunity and one of the skills of the driver is to try to always improve,” Vasseur told media including Motorsport Week as Ferrari ran the SF-25 at Fiorano.
“A good way to improve is also to take the experience or the performance of your team-mate, because it’s the driver that is the closest to you and you can have access to the data that you can work with. If you are clever, you can do a step with the potential of your team-mate.
“I’m fully, fully sure, because we already did two TPC [Testing of Previous Cars] and the shakedown today, that it will be the case.
“Honestly, I’m not scared at all with this, because we need to have this kind of emulation.
“I spoke about it last year between Charles and Carlos. It was already the case, but as a team, if we want to perform, we need to have two drivers performing.
“We need to have two drivers in a kind of competition, a positive competition and a positive emulation. And I’m sure that it will be the case.”
Hamilton and Leclerc in ‘good shape’ at Ferrari
Vasseur revealed that the relationship between his two drivers, which extends to mutual interests outside racing, has been positive in their initial weeks as team-mates.
Asked whether there had been things that had surprised him having now seen them work together at Ferrari, the Frenchman responded: “Honestly, not.
“This part of the season, all the teams are World Champion, all the teammates are in the honeymoon [phase] and so on.
“It’s like this in F1. But the first weeks of collaboration between the two is mega good.
“I’m not surprised at all that they spent a couple of hours last year during the parade and so on to discuss. They were able to build up the relationship and we are starting in very good shape.
“Now the most important thing is to keep this relationship, to continue to work as a team and to push as a team. But I’m quite confident.”
Ferrari will be receptive to Hamilton’s input
Ferrari harbours hope that Hamilton’s vast experience operating in multiple title-winning sides will provide the added boost that helps the team to claim an elusive title.
The Maranello-based squad came close to bagging the Constructors’ Championship in the previous campaign, but it came up 14 points versus McLaren, Hamilton’s ex-team.
With the margins poised to be tight again in the last season with the current regulations, Vasseur has stressed that Ferrari must be receptive to the expertise Hamilton brings.
“They [the drivers] all are part of the development of the car, of the evolution of the car,” he explained. “And for sure, Lewis is in the first stage of this collaboration because he did only two TPCs and is now on track.
“But for sure, the feedback is always important because the feedback is helping the team to develop and to do a better job.
“And even if it’s on small details, what we have to keep in mind is that last year we finished 14 points behind McLaren. It means that it’s less than one point per race. It’s an average of 300 seconds between us and the guy in front of us on the grid.
“It means we are always speaking about details. It’s not a matter of changing the car completely or whatever. If we are able to bring a small bit of performance on one or two topics, it’s already a huge step forward.
“And Lewis is coming with his own experience, with his own background, and he will help the team to develop in every single area. For sure, we will do a quick comparison between the two engines, between the two chassis, between how we operate on track.
“As a team, we have to avoid being shy and to try to understand where we can improve. And this is my job and the job of the technicians.”
Ferrari never doubted Hamilton’s speed
The hardship that encapsulated Hamilton’s closing races with Mercedes has posed questions about whether an age-related decline could thwart his desire to win in red.
Vasseur, though, reiterated that he never had concerns about Hamilton’s raw pace as he backed the 105-time F1 race winner to become a crucial cog in his Ferrari rebuild.
“He showed in Abu Dhabi, starting from the back and coming back to P4, I think, overtaking [George] Russell in the last lap, that the pace is there and I had no doubt before,” he vowed.
“The first question, no, he’s not the same. He’s 20 years older than when we were together first and everybody is changing, improving, developing.
“For sure, he’s much more mature, much more experienced and he’s the perfect fit with the team today.
“It’s exactly what I was looking for, for the team, for me, for Charles. I think it’s the perfect combination.”
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