Tag: Lewis Hamilton

Ferrari and Hamilton face critical preparations ahead of 2025 – Vasseur

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says Lewis Hamilton will need to lean on his experience as he is faced with a challenging stint to be fully prepared for his debut with the team in 2025. Hamilton will join Ferrari next season after bringing his …

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says Lewis Hamilton will need to lean on his experience as he is faced with a challenging stint to be fully prepared for his debut with the team in 2025.

Hamilton will join Ferrari next season after bringing his time with Mercedes to an end, marking only the second team move of his Formula 1 career and the first time he will race outside of a Mercedes-powered team. With pre-season testing beginning on Feb. 26 and Ferrari launching its 2025 car a week earlier, Vasseur says there’s only a small window for Hamilton become embedded within the Scuderia.

“It’s always a challenge, starting from the beginning of January until the launch of the season on the 18th of February in London, and we will do the [2024 car] launch the 19th in Maranello,” Vasseur said. “It means it’s critical that you have only six weeks — it’s not easy. But he’s also coming with his own experience — he’s not Rookie of the Year — so I’m not worried at all about this.

“It’s also the continuity of the previous regulations and that means we have some reference. I’m not worried, but it’s true that it’s a challenge. If you imagine that you could go to Bahrain and have a sandstorm, as we had a couple of years ago, it’s tough, but it’s tough for everybody on the grid. We know that we have only three days there.”

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Ferrari plans on running Hamilton during some testing of previous car (TPC) days, but a firm date for a first outing has not been set due to uncertainty over the weather in January. Vasseur says there will be no specific public welcoming event for the seven-time world champion, such is the need to spend time preparing for the opening rounds.

“We have to be focused on the season,” he said. “As we said before, it will be a very tight period between the first day and launch — it’s a matter of weeks and I want to have everybody focus on performance.

“It means that we will have the launch of the championship, we will have the launch of the car. For me, it’s already two events, and it’s far too much! I want to be focused on development, performance and not to do the show.”

Hamilton boosted Mercedes in final race – Allison

Technical director James Allison says Lewis Hamilton lifted the team ahead of his final race for Mercedes in Abu Dhabi, where he started deep in the field after being eliminated in Q1 due to an errant bollard. Hamilton was on the back foot when he …

Technical director James Allison says Lewis Hamilton lifted the team ahead of his final race for Mercedes in Abu Dhabi, where he started deep in the field after being eliminated in Q1 due to an errant bollard.

Hamilton was on the back foot when he was sent out at the end of Q1, before a loose bollard — dislodged by Kevin Magnussen as the Haas driver was trying to get out of Hamilton’s way — wedged itself under his floor. That led to Hamilton starting in 16th place, but he charged through the field to finish fourth.

“I think it would be very hard to summarize such a complex set of feelings,” Allison said. “We would of course love this whole season, let alone the last race, to be more of a fairy tale ending to a partnership that has set all the benchmarks in Formula 1.

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“It would have been fitting if we could have finished on the podium at the very least or ideally on the top step, but that was not to be. That said, I think it could not have been more well handled by Lewis and by the team. I think that owes a massive amount to the respect that there is between Lewis and the team and the huge amount of appreciation for everything we have achieved together.”

Allison says the catalyst for Hamilton’s impressive comeback was the seven-time world champion not allowing Mercedes to be downbeat ahead of the race.

“Qualifying was a difficult time for Lewis in this event with his run-in with the bollard. He was disappointed; we were even more disappointed for him,” Allison said. “And yet in the debrief afterwards when we were down in the mouth, he was telling us, ‘Look, put your chins up, we’re going to make the most of tomorrow and remember all the times when we’ve got this right together.’

“I think that is what it feels like. We have had some difficult seasons recently but over the span of this relationship no other driver-team partnership has come close to matching what we have done together and it has just been a fantastic run for all of us. We could not wish him more well than we did on that last day together.”

There was still a tinge of regret from Allison, though, as he admitted Hamilton would have had every chance of finishing on the podium in his final race for Mercedes but for the qualifying incident.

“It is possible, yes. I think he had been pretty speedy during the weekend prior, was feeling confident in the car,” Allison said. “The gaps actually between P5 and the front row were quite small and had he wiggled his way into Q2 without the untimely intervention of the bollard, then I think he would have had a strong qualifying session overall and then would have been obviously much better placed to fight in the race than eventually he was.”

Hamilton savors the moment after ending Mercedes spell on a high

Lewis Hamilton savored his final moments with his Mercedes car after ending his spell with the team on a high with a recovery drive to fourth place in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. A Q1 exit on Saturday had left Hamilton facing a tough task in the final …

Lewis Hamilton savored his final moments with his Mercedes car after ending his spell with the team on a high with a recovery drive to fourth place in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

A Q1 exit on Saturday had left Hamilton facing a tough task in the final race of the season, but he was the only driver to start on hard tires to try an alternate strategy against the rest of the field on mediums. A solid opening few laps saw him gain four positions from his 16th-place grid slot and Hamilton then produced an entertaining final stint to close in on teammate George Russell and make the move for fourth on the final lap of the race.

“[Russell] was driving great — obviously he started a lot further ahead than I did, so to catch the 14 seconds was tough,” Hamilton said. “He was putting in good laps, and so it took perfection — I had to really put together the best laps I could possibly do.

“Obviously in Vegas I was catching for a period of time and then stopped, so I was trying to make sure that I kept taking chunks out of that gap, and I only caught him right at that last lap, and I was like, ‘I’ve got to make it, it’s now or never,’ and so I just went for it.

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“I mean, every moment that I’ve got in the car this week, I’ve known that it’s one of the last. And it’s been really, really clear and really hard to let go. So I think when I stopped the car I just wanted to embrace the moment, because it’s the last time I’m going to step into a Mercedes and represent them.

“It’s been the greatest honor of my life — they’ve powered every race, every pole position, every win we’ve had together, every championship, so I think when I knelt next to it I think it was just giving thanks, to firstly thanking my own spirit for not giving up and continuing to push, thanking everyone that powered and built that car, I’m proud of everyone.”

Hamilton says the strong drive has no bearing on his outlook for 2025 at Ferrari, but that he was glad that that he got to sign off from Mercedes with such a performance.

“It’s not that I need to have confidence — I’ve always had the confidence — but definitely really nice to finish with a strong hard battle. No mistakes, solid drive.

“It’s been a really turbulent year, probably the longest year of my life, I would say, because we’ve known it from the beginning that we’re leaving, and it’s like a relationship — when you’ve told whoever the counterpart is that you’re leaving, but you’re living together for a whole year! Lots of ups and downs, emotionally, but we finished off on a high today.”

‘You couldn’t make it up’ – Hamilton on Q1 exit after bizarre bollard incident

Lewis Hamilton was in a philosophical mood after his Q1 exit at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with his final qualifying session for Mercedes being hampered by a bollard. Mercedes had to warn Hamilton that he might struggle to start his final lap in the …

Lewis Hamilton was in a philosophical mood after his Q1 exit at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with his final qualifying session for Mercedes being hampered by a bollard.

Mercedes had to warn Hamilton that he might struggle to start his final lap in the first part of qualifying because of traffic and the time left on the clock, but he just managed to cross the line in time. Then as he rounded Turn 14, Kevin Magnussen cut the corner to keep out of his way but the Haas driver inadvertently knocked loose a bollard that lodged itself under Hamilton’s car, hampering his final few laps as he dropped out in 18th place.

“You couldn’t make it up, you really couldn’t, but it is what it is,” he told the BBC. “We gave it everything, I gave it everything, the car was in a good place. Every practice session went well, I was ahead of my teammate all weekend but when we got to qualifying I think as a team we didn’t perform in terms of the timing.

“I was the last car on track and ran out of time, ultimately, and then I got the bollard at the end which went under the car and I lost all downforce so it couldn’t have gone worse really.”

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Despite the disappointment, Hamilton says the car has been strong and will give him a chance of trying to fight back into the points on Saturday.

“Nah, I don’t feel the pain of [it being a kick] in the teeth, as such. I think for me, I’ve just been very present, been enjoying every moment, I’ve got the car in a really good place,” he said. “The setup changes we’ve been making, the car has been completely different to the last five races this weekend — it’s been feeling really great. So it is unfortunate, but…

“The pace was decent. It’s not going to be easy to overtake tomorrow, but I work on strategy now and instead of fighting for the podium, we’ll see how far — if I can get into the top 10, that would be amazing.”

Team principal Toto Wolff also then took it upon himself to say sorry to Hamilton for the way Mercedes executed qualifying, with the seven-time world champion set to start 16th once grid penalties are applied.

“I just need to apologize to Lewis,” he told Sky Sports. “Also to everyone in the team that worked so hard in making it a great end for him. He was the quicker guy with the setup we chose on the car to experiment for next year. We totally let him down.

“Idiotic mistake of not going earlier. Inexcusable, inexcusable. I’ve rarely been so down about what has happened. Maybe it summarizes the last races we’ve had with him but this is the worst part of it, because it was just idiotic.

“I think we were lucky that both of them wrestled their way through the other traffic. Maybe without the bollard it would have worked. You don’t risk so much in a Q1 where we easily had the pace to make it out there. Our most valuable racing driver ever, the most valuable greatest driver of this sport, gets out in Q1 because we make a mistake. It doesn’t ruin the legacy we had with him but I can only say sorry to him.”

 

Vasseur not bothered by Hamilton’s recent dip in form

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says he has no concerns over Lewis Hamilton’s recent struggles ahead of his move to the Scuderia in 2025. Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz next season, but it has been an inconsistent year for the seven-time …

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says he has no concerns over Lewis Hamilton’s recent struggles ahead of his move to the Scuderia in 2025.

Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz next season, but it has been an inconsistent year for the seven-time world champion. Wins in Silverstone and Belgium have been followed more recently by tough outings in Brazil and Qatar – the latter prompting him to say “I’m definitely not fast anymore” – but Vasseur insists he has no concerns.

“Not at all,” Vasseur said. “Have a look on the 50 laps that he did in Vegas. Starting P10, finishing on the gearbox of [George] Russell, I’m not worried at all.”

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Of more immediate focus for Ferrari is the constructors’ championship fight against McLaren.

“We’re still scoring more points than McLaren,” Vasseur said. “We are still alive for the championship. Charles is not far away now from Norris for the driver’s [championship]. Overall, it’s a good result. Now, I would prefer to be 20 points ahead versus 20 points behind. But I think on paper that the next one is probably a bit better for us.

“I would prefer to have 20 points in the pocket. It’s not a matter of pressure. It’s a matter (of needing) to do a good job and to be quick. First we have to be focused on ourselves. We were able to do one-two on some weekends during the season, [and we’ll] try to do this. But it’s true that even if you do a one-two, that they can [still] be champion, and that is that.

“But first, the most important is to be focused on ourselves, not to start to think about what the others are doing, because then you are lose a little bit (of) the pace of the weekend. At least this weekend [in Qatar], the approach was very good, because due to the mix of the championship, we stayed focused on our car, on our strategy, and not thinking too much about what McLaren or Red Bull is doing.”

Vasseur not concerned by Hamilton’s recent struggles

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says he has no concerns over Lewis Hamilton’s downturn in form in recent races ahead of his move to the Scuderia in 2025. Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz next season having signed a deal ahead of the current …

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says he has no concerns over Lewis Hamilton’s downturn in form in recent races ahead of his move to the Scuderia in 2025.

Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz next season having signed a deal ahead of the current campaign, but it has been an inconsistent year for the seven-time world champion. Wins in Silverstone and Belgium have been followed more recently by tough outings in Brazil and Qatar — the latter prompting him to say, “I’m definitely not fast anymore” — but the latest challenging weekend does not worry Vasseur.

“Not at all,” Vasseur said. “Have a look on the 50 laps that he did in Vegas. Starting P10, finishing on the gearbox of [George] Russell. I’m not worried at all.”

Of more immediate focus for Ferrari is the constructors’ championship fight against McLaren, and Vasseur says he likes his team’s chances.

“We’re still scoring more points than McLaren. We are still alive for the championship,” he said. “Charles [Leclerc] is not far away now from [Lando] Norris I think also for the driver’s [championship]. Overall, it’s a good result. Now, I would prefer to be 20 points ahead versus 20 points behind. But I think on paper that the next one is probably a bit better for us also.

“I would prefer to have 20 points in the pocket. It’s not a matter of pressure. It’s a matter to do a good job and to be quick. First we have to be focused on ourselves. We were able to do one-two on some weekends during the season, [and we’ll] try to do this. But it’s true that even if you do a one-two, that they can [still] be champion, and that is that.

“But first, the most important [thing] is to be focused on ourselves, not to start to think about what the others are doing and so on. Because then you are losing a little bit the pace of the weekend. At least this weekend [in Qatar], the approach was very good — due to the mix of the championship, we stayed focused on our car, on our strategy, and not thinking too much about what McLaren or Red Bull is doing.”

Drivers throw support behind GM F1 entry

A number of the Formula 1 drivers have backed General Motors’ arrival in the sport with the Cadillac brand, with the likes of Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen open to future race seat opportunities with the team. F1 announced it is working …

A number of the Formula 1 drivers have backed General Motors’ arrival in the sport with the Cadillac brand, with the likes of Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen open to future race seat opportunities with the team.

F1 announced it is working towards GM joining the grid in 2026, whereby the team will run under the Cadillac name and use a customer power unit deal until its own works engine is ready in 2028. Its addition will expand the field to 11 teams and 22 cars, and Lewis Hamilton said it will also provide extra positions for engineers and mechanics as well as drivers. 

“I think it’s great,” Hamilton said. “I’ve always been super supportive of having another team; more cars on the grid. To think of how many more job opportunities that is… I’m so happy to hear that it’s happening.” 

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Hamilton is one of the drivers who has raced in a grid of more than 20 cars in the past – the last year being 2016 when the Manor team was last competing – and Fernando Alonso similarly backed a project that includes some of his former colleagues such as technical director Nick Chester, advisor Pat Symonds and COO Rob White.

“Eleventh team, 22 drivers, it’s not the first time that we will be 22 on the grid,” Alonso said. “It’s a complex decision for the sport in general but if they came to that conclusion it’s because it’s the best for everybody. I will always support whatever management think that is the best.

“For the team personnel, they have a couple of people that were in the Renault days and for sure they will have a huge contribution right now at the very early part of the project, with a lot of experience in Formula 1 and in the sport. So I wish the best of luck. A new team is never an easy task, but I think they will be well prepared and they have the right people.”

For many of the younger drivers it will be the first time they race on a grid of more than 20 F1 cars, and Charles Leclerc said that provides more chances for up-and-coming driving talent, too.

“It’s the first time in my career that I’ll be 22 on the grid in F1, and that’s exciting,” Leclerc said. “I also think that there are lots of young drivers waiting for a place in Formula 1, and that will obviously give more opportunities to very talented young drivers that are dreaming to get into Formula 1. So for that, this is a good thing, and cool to have two more cars on the grid.”

Pierre Gasly echoed Leclerc’s sentiments, and emphasized benefits from a racing spectacle point of view.

“It’s exciting,” he said. “It’s going to be my first time to race with 22 cars in F1. So more rivals, probably more action, more racing. So, exciting times. I think it’s been a long topic for quite a long time. So I’m sure if they came to that conclusion, definitely means it’s the best for the sport. So I’m excited about it.”

But it’s not just young drivers who are excited by the prospect. Bottas is out of a seat at the end of this year and said he has spoken to GM already about his availability for 2026.

“I think that’s just increased the chances of getting a seat for 2026, which ultimately is the goal,” Bottas said. “But if not, then there’s lots of other cool things in other series.

“Yes (I’ve had talks), I think for sure I’m not the only one, but of course, it’s interesting for me, and I think it’s great for F1. Great brand, GM is a big backer behind it so, for sure, it’s an interesting project.”

Magnussen is another who is set to drop off the grid next year, and he has history with the manufacturer after racing a Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac in IMSA in 2021.

“Absolutely, I think it’s exciting to see,” Magnussen said. “It’s a proper competitor coming in, a great name and an OEM who’s going to come in with guns blazing and throw everything at it I’m sure. So it’s exciting for the sport, exciting for the driver market, for the grid.

“You never know of course. I have driven for the factory before in IMSA, it was the factory Cadillac that I drove there, so I know the management, I know the people there. They know me. So you don’t know.”

Along with those more experienced names, Zhou Guanyu – who scored his first points of the season in Qatar on Sunday – has links to the GM entry’s advisory team, and says he’s also looking at the new constructor as a potential opportunity to get back on the grid in just over a year’s time.

“I’m fully aware that GM and also Cadillac joined the grid,” Zhou said. “I think it’s very good for the sport in general because a lot of people are always talking about having not enough seats for the people, the young drivers available. Clearly, I think we have a lot of young drivers for next year. 

“From my position, it’s a great opportunity and a great chance for next season when I’m not having a seat. So I can probably think about what the future will be and try to have an opportunity there. So I’m aware of that.

“But everything was just only announced this week. We still need to go through further details a bit more on that. But for me, my priority is trying to have another chance of coming back on the grid. So for me, I don’t really have where I go, but if there’s a chance to grab, I will absolutely take it.”

Hamilton ‘looking forward to the end’ after qualifying woes in Qatar

Lewis Hamilton says he doesn’t know where his qualifying pace has gone and that he’s looking forward to the end of his Mercedes career ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix. George Russell qualified on the front row for both the Sprint and Sunday’s main …

Lewis Hamilton says he doesn’t know where his qualifying pace has gone and that he’s looking forward to the end of his Mercedes career ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix.

George Russell qualified on the front row for both the Sprint and Sunday’s main race in Qatar, on each occasion being within a tenth of a second of the outright fastest time. Hamilton, meanwhile, was 0.4s off Russell in Sprint qualifying, and then slightly further off on Saturday night, and says he doesn’t believe it’s a lack of ability that is causing the gap.

“Well, I mean I’m slow out there,” Hamilton said. “I’m half a second off my teammate in the same car… It’s been happening all year.”

“I know I’ve still got it, it’s just the car won’t go any faster. I definitely know I’ve got it still. It’s not a question in my mind. Looking forward to the end.

“We [pretty much] fixed the balance, so it was much better… [It was] a pretty straightforward session. The car was feeling pretty decent.”

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Hamilton — who will make his final start for Mercedes at next weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — also told Sky Sports that he felt his laps in qualifying were competitive at the time, before he completed the attempts and saw the standings.

“I can’t explain why I am half a second off my teammate,” he said. “It’s never happened in my career. I can’t explain that. What I can say is that the car felt generally fine for me. There’s not really much more I can add. I’ve given it absolutely everything and the laps are generally feeling good but I come across the line and it’s just slow.”

The seven-time world champion was more competitive in the first part of the Sprint before fading later on and losing out to Charles Leclerc, but he suggests he was balancing the risk and reward for a race that pays far fewer points than the grand prix.

“It was all right; it was [a fair fight], nice and close,” he said. “I didn’t defend; I should have defended but I didn’t. He was a bit quicker than me and probably going to come by anyways. If I’m in the same position again tomorrow, I’ll put more of a fight up, for sure.”

Hamilton rues missed opportunity in Vegas

Lewis Hamilton suggests he would have easily won the Las Vegas Grand Prix if he hadn’t made errors in qualifying on Friday. Mercedes topped every single practice session and was fastest in qualifying as George Russell took pole position, but …

Lewis Hamilton suggests he would have easily won the Las Vegas Grand Prix if he hadn’t made errors in qualifying on Friday.

Mercedes topped every single practice session and was fastest in qualifying as George Russell took pole position, but Hamilton made mistakes on both of his laps in Q3 to start from 10th. Climbing through the field on Saturday night, Hamilton managed to back Russell up to secure a Mercedes one-two, but he says that pace showed how much easier his race should have been.

“That was great,” Hamilton said. “Well, firstly, I’ve got to say a big congratulations to Max [Verstappen], winning the championship, still with several races to go. And if I’d done my job yesterday, it would have been a breeze today.

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“But it’s OK, I had fun coming from the back, coming from 10th, and the team did a fantastic job. We don’t know why we were so quick this weekend but that’s the nice. That’s the best the car has ever felt, so I’m grateful to have been a part of getting it to that point.

“If the car drives like that in the next couple races then I think we’ll be in a good spot to challenge the guys up front. And the championship’s done, so now it’s just all out, fight for the best positions possible.”

Hamilton says he actually had a more enjoyable race fighting his way into victory contention from P10 than might have been the case dominating from pole position. 

“Great performance. It’s not that I didn’t think I could do it, I’ve had many races like this, but I’m generally happy to have had the recovery,” he said. “It’s a new day and I just tried to approach it with a positive mindset. And to be able to have [such] a car underneath me today and be able to push and overtake people was such a great feeling.

“That was honestly one of the most enjoyable races. If I’d started on pole and just led the way, wouldn’t have felt as much fun, for sure. Of course, winning a grand prix is always a great thing, but when whoever it is faces adversity and has to battle through, it just feels so much better when you do succeed.”

Hamilton leads Norris in second Las Vegas GP practice

Lewis Hamilton led the way once again in the second practice session for at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, but a mid-session red flag means the one-lap pace order unclear. The red flag was triggered for Alex Albon, whose Williams car suffered a fuel …

Lewis Hamilton led the way once again in the second practice session for at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, but a mid-session red flag means the one-lap pace order unclear.

The red flag was triggered for Alex Albon, whose Williams car suffered a fuel system issue that forced him to stop on track beneath the Sphere. Albon had returned to pit lane after only three laps for repairs. The team had thought it had fixed the issue, but Albon’s car lasted only a handful of corners before being parked up with around 25m still on the clock.

The disruption came at the worst possible time for the front-runners, who were in the middle of their qualifying simulation runs. In the cool of the late evening — the track surface only just nudged 55 degrees F — drivers were setting two flying laps on the soft tire and finding considerable time with their second attempts, once the rubber was up to temperature.

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Hamilton had just completed his second flying lap in his Mercedes to move 0.011s clear of Lando Norris at the top of the order, the McLaren driver having only just completed his first flying lap. George Russell, on the same program as Hamilton, was third and 0.19s slower than his teammate.

The timing of the suspension was far more problematic for Red Bull Racing, which had only just sent Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez on their qualifying simulation programs.

Verstappen had just passed through the second sector on his first flying lap when the red flags were waved, and with less than 20 minutes remaining when the session resumed, he switched straight to his race simulations for the rest of the session. What little could be gleaned from his split times, however, was uninspiring, the Dutchman 1.094s down on Hamilton before even making it through the final sector. Perez was similarly off the pace.

Without the Red Bull Racing cars in the mix, Ferrari was in a solo battle for time behind Mercedes and McLaren. Carlos Sainz — switching back to the floor that he will use for the rest of the weekend after having tried a development part in FP1 — was the fastest of the two, 0.280s off the pace in fourth. Charles Leclerc was 0.208s further back, but he abandoned his second flying lap early, missing out on the progression of a second attempt.

Pierre Gasly was sixth for Alpine at the head of the midfield, lapping 0.826s off the pace to beat Haas’s Kevin Magnussen by 0.035s, the Dane having been the only driver to set a soft-tire fast lap after the red flag.

Oscar Piastri, who did not complete his qualifying simulation program due to the red flag, was eighth and 0.973s adrift ahead of Nico Hulkenberg and Yuki Tsunoda completing the top 10.

Valtteri Bottas was 11th ahead of Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso — the Spaniard complained of poor setup choice triggering bouncing early in the session — and Liam Lawson.

Zhou Guanyu was 16th ahead of the out-of-position Verstappen, Franco Colapinto, Sergio Perez and the stricken Albon.