Lewis Hamilton has given his full backing to Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur following another round of speculation surrounding the Frenchman’s Formula 1 future.
Vasseur faced similar questions just over a year ago before signing a new Ferrari contract, but his position has returned to the spotlight following recent comments from former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
Ferrari president John Elkann and CEO Benedetto Vigna have already backed Vasseur, and Hamilton has now made his own position clear ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Christian Horner Comments Spark Ferrari Speculation
The latest speculation followed an interview with Horner, who discussed what would interest him if he returned to Formula 1.
Horner spent more than two decades leading Red Bull before leaving the team, and he suggested any future project would generally need to include an ownership element. Ferrari, though, appears to represent an exception.
“I did 21 years sitting on the pitwall. I don’t need to go back to that… At this stage in my life, there’s only one team for which I would accept non-participation in ownership,” Horner said.
“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 did not state he was seeking Vasseur’s position, but his comments generated fresh discussion over Ferrari’s leadership.
Vasseur Frustrated by Ferrari Rumours
The renewed speculation has frustrated Vasseur as Ferrari attempts to focus on improving its performance during the 2026 season.
“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 responded by making clear its senior leadership remains behind Vasseur, who has overseen the team since replacing Mattia Binotto ahead of the 2023 season.
Hamilton Says Vasseur Is Right Man for Ferrari
Hamilton has now offered one of the strongest public endorsements of Vasseur’s leadership.
The seven-time world champion believes Ferrari needs stability rather than another change at the top.
“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.
“There are also people above Fred and it’s not about one person. Fred has led the team. 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 Frustrated by Negativity Around Ferrari
Hamilton also believes Ferrari receives greater scrutiny than other Formula 1 teams when results fall short of expectations.
He acknowledged Ferrari has made mistakes, but argued similar problems elsewhere do not attract the same level of attention.
“For me, it’s frustrating to see all the negativity because you see other people making mistakes and no one really says too much about them,” he pointed out. “We either make the same mistake or are not perfect and we know we’re not. It’s 10 times worse for some reason for Ferrari. But that’s also to be expected given that it’s the best brand here, it’s the most iconic by far.”
Ferrari sits second in the constructors’ championship, although Mercedes has established a significant advantage during the first 15 rounds of the season.
Hamilton Wants Changes to Ferrari Structure
Despite strongly supporting Vasseur, Hamilton acknowledged there are areas of Ferrari’s wider structure he would change.
The Briton spent much of his Formula 1 career with Mercedes, where Toto Wolff operates under a different leadership model. Hamilton believes some aspects of Ferrari’s structure deserve examination, although he declined to publicly explain the changes he would make.
“There is a structure that’s been there for some time, whether or not that needs looking at moving forward… There are changes that I would make, but I’m not going to talk about what those are,” he said.
“Toto [Wolff] is in a different position to Fred and the structure’s a lot different. So, that’s all I can say on it, really.”
Ferrari Backs Vasseur Ahead of Bahrain GP
The latest speculation arrives as Ferrari prepares for the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang, where the team will look to close the gap to Mercedes.
Hamilton’s comments make a distinction between his support for Vasseur and his thoughts on Ferrari’s broader structure. He believes changes remain necessary within the organisation, but does not see replacing the team principal as the answer.
For Hamilton, Vasseur remains the person he wants leading Ferrari.
“He really is the guy to take this team in the right direction.”
