Lewis Hamilton has given his strongest endorsement yet to Fred Vasseur amid destabilizing rumors about the Ferrari team principal's future. The seven-time world champion insisted that Vasseur is the right man to lead the team forward.
"I think Fred has the full backing," Hamilton said in Kuala Lumpur ahead of this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. "You can see they've obviously switched out lots of different people in Fred's role but Fred is a fantastic leader. He really is the guy to take this team in the right direction."
The rumors resurfaced after former Red Bull chief Christian Horner gave an interview to The Times to promote his upcoming memoir. When asked about his requirements for an F1 return, Horner mentioned Ferrari as the only team he would accept without an ownership stake. "Would I consider Ferrari? I mean, Ferrari is the biggest brand in Formula 1. It's the dream. And arguably it's the sleeping giant of Formula 1," Horner said.
Horner's comments sparked speculation in Italy that he was angling for Vasseur's job. Vasseur himself expressed frustration with the situation. "We are not working in perfect serenity, if that is the question," he said. "For me, first, but for everybody on the team, for the media, for 50% of the questions about this, I think it's a bit of a frustrating situation. Mr Horner is looking for a job – that everybody knows – everywhere."
Ferrari issued a statement reaffirming that president John Elkann and CEO Benedetto Vigna remain fully behind Vasseur. Hamilton also highlighted Vasseur's role in guiding the team to second place in last year's constructors' championship. "He's helped make changes in this past year. He's helped us get to second in the constructors' championship, that's a huge step from last year," Hamilton added.
Hamilton also described the situation as "frustrating" due to the negative atmosphere surrounding the team. However, he stressed that success is not about one person. "There are also people above Fred and it's not about one person. Fred has led the team," he said.
With speculation refusing to die down, the backing from Hamilton and Ferrari's management sends a strong signal that Vasseur remains a central figure in Ferrari's project. The team's focus now shifts to the track, starting with the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia this weekend, where Ferrari is determined to perform competitively and silence off-track distractions.
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