Lewis Hamilton has thrown his support behind Fred Vasseur to continue leading Ferrari, amid speculation that Christian Horner has publicly declared interest in becoming the team's next Formula 1 team principal. In a brief interview after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion simply replied "Yes" when asked if he was confident the team was still on the right path with Vasseur at the helm. When pressed about team unity, Hamilton nodded and said "yep".
This statement is a strong signal that Lewis Hamilton still believes in the project being built by Fred Vasseur at Maranello. Despite the growing rumours of Horner's arrival, Hamilton chose not to rush his response and instead emphasised his focus on improving the team's performance.
Horner Speaks Out on Ferrari
The former Red Bull boss admitted that Ferrari is the only F1 job that would tempt him back onto the pit wall without an ownership stake. He described leading the legendary Italian team as "the dream". After his sacking from Red Bull last year, Horner is actively seeking a comeback and has been continually linked with the Ferrari seat, especially after his recent public declaration.
This speculation certainly adds pressure on Vasseur, whose contract expires at the end of the season. However, support from Hamilton—a driver brought in by Vasseur himself—is a blow to those who doubt the future of the French boss.
Poor Performance in Baku
On the other hand, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was a disappointing weekend for Ferrari. Charles Leclerc had to settle for fourth after starting from second, while Hamilton could only maintain his sixth place. "It was a pretty bad race from my perspective, I didn’t really go anywhere," said Hamilton. "I couldn’t keep up with the guys ahead and I was struggling to keep the guys behind. Just lacking pace today."
Hamilton also revealed the tyre issues that hampered his performance throughout the race. "Generally through the whole weekend, I just couldn’t get the tyres to work. I weaved and weaved and weaved and the tyres just wouldn’t switch on," he explained. "At the end of the first stint, the tyres all of a sudden started to switch on and start working and I started to do the same time as like everyone ahead. Then we switched to the next tyre and it wouldn’t switch on the whole last stint of the race so I was just sliding around."
Championship Impact
The result in Baku leaves Hamilton third in the championship, 103 points behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes and 37 adrift of George Russell, who won Saturday's race. With the season winding down, Ferrari needs to find solutions to its tyre and consistency issues if it wants to secure its position in the constructors' standings.
Hamilton's brief but firm statement shows he remains solidly behind Vasseur. However, if Ferrari's performance does not improve, external pressure—including the shadow of Horner—could become a serious distraction. One thing is certain: Hamilton does not want to get caught up in off-track drama. He just wants his car to be competitive.
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