It was meant to be a beautiful story. On paper, it was; on the track, much less so. Lewis Hamilton, arriving at Ferrari on a huge wave of hope, experienced a first season in red that was far more complicated than anticipated. And for the first time, Fred Vasseur openly admits it: the Scuderia underestimated the magnitude of the shock.
During the end-of-season debriefing in Maranello, Vasseur did not seek to conceal the reality. Hamilton's move from Mercedes à Ferrari turned out to be far more complex than expected.
« I think it's been difficult for Lewis, and that's an understatement to say that it was difficult »
After nearly twenty years spent in the universe Mercedes — first at McLaren, then at the Mercedes factory — Hamilton had to relearn absolutely everything.
« After 20 years at Mercedes, it was a huge change. Personally, I underestimated the magnitude of this step »
Vasseur insists: this is not a problem of level or method, but a total change of ecosystem.
« It's not about whether we're doing things better or worse, but simply differently. Every piece of software is different, every component is different. The people around him were different. »
Even the most trivial details matter at this level, especially in a Formula 1 2025 is an extremely tight year, where the slightest inaccuracy will be punished severely.
Hamilton ends the year without a podium finish, at 86 points of Charles Leclerc, in an often capricious SF-25. And Vasseur reminds us how microscopic the differences were.
« If you let a few hundredths slip by, today it changes everything. He cites a striking example: Charles was in Budapest a tenth faster Lewis qualified in Q2. Lewis was 11th, Charles secured pole position. »
The same observation was made in Abu Dhabi: There was a tenth of a second between P5 and P15"Under these conditions, failing to control every detail is tantamount to disappearing from the radar."
Fred Vasseur: We certainly underestimated the cultural shift, the change in the people around him, the change in everything »
Vasseur However, he refuses to take refuge behind these explanations. That's not an excuse, that's not a good reason.n. You have to be at the forefront, but ultimately, we're talking about details. »
The boss of the Team However, it is acknowledged that the human and cultural dimension of the transfer was poorly anticipated.
« We certainly underestimated the cultural shift, the change in the people around him, the change in everything »
Ferrari et Hamilton They gradually regained a better mutual understanding in the second half of the year. Not necessarily in terms of rankings, but in their daily work.
« I'm talking about collaboration and understanding the car. Even there, it was difficult »
This first failed attempt does not condemn the adventure. Hamilton–Ferrari, but it brings to mind a brutal truth: changing teams at the top of F1, even for a seven-time champion, is never a formality.
The honeymoon was rough. Now it remains to be seen whether this painful season will serve as a solid foundation… or a lasting scar.
