Ferrari\u2019s public declaration of confidence in Vasseur after Christian Horner discussed his interest in the role<\/a>. Hamilton supported the Frenchman while directing attention towards the wider organisation and the decision-making structure above him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cFred is a fantastic leader. He really is the guy to take this team in the right direction,\u201d Hamilton said;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hamilton stressed the importance of stability and having everyone working towards the same objective. Ferrari has repeatedly changed team principals during its long championship drought, and the Briton questioned whether concentrating scrutiny on that position adequately addresses the organisation\u2019s problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He pointed out that Vasseur operates within a hierarchy, with other senior figures holding authority above him. Ferrari chairman John Elkann and chief executive Benedetto Vigna had both been identified in the team\u2019s earlier statement as supporting the current leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hamilton would change Ferrari\u2019s structure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Hamilton\u2019s assessment went beyond defending Vasseur against speculation. Asked about the contrast with Mercedes, where Toto Wolff combines team leadership with an ownership stake, he acknowledged that he would make changes at Ferrari, although he declined to identify them publicly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are changes that I would make but I am not going to talk about what those are,\u201d Hamilton said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The comparison matters because Vasseur and Wolff operate with different responsibilities and levels of authority. Hamilton\u2019s remarks raised a question about Ferrari\u2019s structure without specifying which positions or individuals he would change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His defence also recognised Vasseur\u2019s contribution to the team\u2019s progress. Hamilton credited the Frenchman with helping Ferrari reach second in the constructors\u2019 championship, while maintaining that responsibility for the next step extends across the organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s lots and lots of people coming together and if you want to point fingers, point it somewhere else,\u201d Hamilton said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"F1](\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/f1-2026-espanha-classificacao-ferrari-lewis-hamilton-01-1024x576.jpg\")
Lewis Hamilton (Foto: F1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nFerrari\u2019s engine deficit remains a concern<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Hamilton also identified a concrete competitive weakness behind Ferrari\u2019s difficulties: insufficient straight-line power. He said the team understands the deficit and is working to address it, rather than treating every disappointing result as a leadership failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe know that every weekend we carry a four-tenths deficit, if not sometimes six-tenths, just in straight-line power,\u201d Hamilton told media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That estimate was Hamilton\u2019s assessment of the performance Ferrari is losing through its power unit. He said work is continuing towards an improvement for next season, while acknowledging the effort being made by staff at both the factory and the circuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hamilton argued that Ferrari attracts a level of criticism that makes comparable mistakes appear substantially worse than those made elsewhere. Its status and visibility increase the pressure on employees, even when they are working hard to resolve the underlying problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hamilton urges Ferrari staff to shut out the criticism<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Briton said he personally avoids reading the coverage, but recognises its effect on others inside Ferrari. His concern extends to employees whose families encounter negative reports and pass them on, bringing the pressure beyond the workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy message is not to read what is written,\u201d Hamilton said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hamilton maintained that Ferrari can reach its objectives, while accepting that the process requires more time. His position combines support for Vasseur with an expectation that the organisation should examine how it operates around him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ferrari will return to the track on Friday, 2 October, when practice begins for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. Sepang hosts the championship for the first time since 2017, with qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday. GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong> will cover the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\nF1 today: FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\nWho won the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Max Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang on Sunday, 4 October, taking his first victory of the 2026 F1 season. Kimi Antonelli finished second, with Lewis Hamilton completing the podium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why was the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia delayed?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Heavy rain initially delayed the start at Sepang. Several drivers then experienced power delivery problems during the formation procedure, forcing race control to suspend the start again. The race eventually began more than 90 minutes after its scheduled time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How far ahead is Kimi Antonelli in the F1 championship?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Kimi Antonelli leads George Russell by 84 points after finishing second at Sepang while his Mercedes teammate retired. Antonelli has 320 points, Russell has 236 and Lewis Hamilton is third with 214.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Does Lewis Hamilton support Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Vasseur?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Yes. Hamilton described Vasseur as a fantastic leader and said he is the right person to take Ferrari forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lewis Hamilton defends Ferrari\u2019s team principal amid Christian Horner speculation, while questioning the management structure above him and highlighting the team\u2019s engine deficit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020315886,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"F1 2026, AZERBAIJ\u00c3O, TREINOS LIVRES, FERRARI, LEWIS HAMILTON","42wp_featured_image_credits":"Alexander Seregin\/ASPPA Images Europe","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[{"id":31,"location":""}],"footnotes":"","42wp_breaking_news":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[617,56,361,63],"42wp_author":[31],"class_list":["post-3130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-f1","tag-christian-horner","tag-ferrari","tag-frederic-vasseur","tag-lewis-hamilton","42wp_author-bernardo-castro"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3130"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3130\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3134,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3130\/revisions\/3134"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020315886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3130"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=3130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}