F1
Vasseur "has no concerns" about Hamilton's abilities
Frédéric Vasseur looks to the future with Hamilton © Eric Alonso / DPPI
After the thunderbolt last February of the transfer of Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari, his final season at Mercedes is tinged with disappointment. Despite his two victories this summer at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps, the current form of the British driver questions his physical and mental capacities before leaving the German team, after 12 years and six world titles. During the Qatar Grand Prix, he suffered a series of disappointments: false start (5-second penalty), speeding in the pits (drive-through penalty) and a puncture while driving over the rear-view mirror ofAlbon : Sir Lewis finished 12th in Qatar after asking to retire with 10 laps remaining.
The Stevenage native seems psychologically tired at the end of the season. Questioned during the Sprint race this weekend in Qatar. Speaking to Canal+, the Scuderia director responded to the growing apprehensions about the arrival of a Hamilton who seems extinguished: "I look at the 50 laps he did in Vegas, starting from 10th, finishing behind Russell's gearbox, I'm not worried at all."
For Vasseur, Hamilton is still in the game
The Frenchman took the opportunity to highlight the performance and pace of the Briton in Las Vegas, a race in which he started in the middle of the pack. before finishing 2nd behind his teammate George RussellA reassuring result, while Lewis Hamilton will join the Scuderia on January 1st without going through the post-season tests in Abu Dhabi.
Vasseur had also shown his confidence in his future pilot with Autosport, despite his absence during the tests at Yas Marina: "I'm not sure he needs tons of acclimatization hours.. He is experienced enough to be fast from day one, or at least very quickly, assures the boss of the Scuderia. We will have one or two days of testing with old cars, plus the Bahrain test, and that will be enough. Part of the team is already focused on the 2025 season, on the testing side, on the communication side and so on, with Lewis being part of that, but not the race team and personally I am not thinking about that.
The Scuderia is, however, preparing a special programme for Lewis Hamilton before the first winter tests in Bahrain (26-28 February): the Briton will have the opportunity to drive old Ferraris on the Fiorano circuit, in order to acclimatise to his new environment.
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vincent moyet
03/12/2024 at 12:33 a.m.
When you have exceeded 100 victories and won 7 titles, I find nothing surprising in not being motivated to fight for an obscure 6th or 7th place in the championship. Let's wait to see him in a competitive car.
ALBERT Claude
03/12/2024 at 12:07 a.m.
Hiring a (nearly) forty-year-old is still a risky bet that Alonso's journey with Aston can positively influence (it's about time it ended) but it's Alonso, with his mentality and his excessive ego. Hamilton at Ferrari, with a car to fight in the foreground, it's 50-50
D'ASSUNCAO JEAN BERNARD
03/12/2024 at 11:19 a.m.
Almost all drivers, during their last year in a team, raise questions about loss of motivation, I remain convinced that HAMILTON, during the first tests at FERRARI, will reassure all those worries!