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 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.”