Ferrari boss sheds light on ‘not difficult’ talks to convince Lewis Hamilton

Fred Vasseur has spoken for the first time about his talks with Lewis Hamilton that led him to join Ferrari.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton has called time on his illustrious 12-season stint at Mercedes in order to complete a blockbuster switch to rivals Ferrari from 2025.

The move shocked the F1 world when it was announced back in February and is arguably the biggest driver transfer in the history of the world championship.

Speaking at Ferrari’s annual end-of-season Christmas lunch with the media, team principal Vasseur said it was “not difficult at all” to convince Hamilton to join the team.

"In 2023 we won more races than Mercedes so it was not difficult to convince him Ferrari would be a good project," Vasseur explained.

"He had the project to drive for Ferrari in his mind for at least 22 or 23 years because we were discussing this in 2004. It meant that it was not too difficult.

"Sometimes it is also a matter of coincidence or to align all the planets, that he is on the market, that Ferrari have a seat available and so on.

“The contact was an easy one. We started to discuss one year ago and it was not difficult to convince him, at all.”

Vasseur was ‘never worried’ by Hamilton’s form

Hamilton endured a disappointing final year at Mercedes, with the 39-year-old comprehensively beaten by younger teammate George Russell in qualifying across the campaign.

Those one-lap struggles led Hamilton, the all-time record holder for pole positions in F1 with 104, to concede at the penultimate round of the season in Qatar that he is “definitely not fast any more”.

Russell also ended the year 22 points ahead in the drivers’ championship as Hamilton took P7 in the standings - marking his lowest-ever finish in his grand prix career to date.

However, Hamilton bowed out of Mercedes with a brilliant recovery drive from 16th on the grid to take fourth in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, including pulling off a last-lap overtake on Russell after overturning a 14-second gap.

Vasseur insists he was “never, never, never worried” about Hamilton’s recent form.

"I think he had a tough moment in qualy, but also I don't think that the qualy of Abu Dhabi, for example, was linked to the performance of Lewis,” he said.

"He had very good races in Vegas and in Abu Dhabi. And I was never - really, never, never, never - worried about this situation.

“This situation, and I don't criticise Lewis or Mercedes, but this situation is not easy to manage. And I can understand that if it's not going very well, you can suffer in this relationship.

"He was not very well in his mind, but he was clear in Brazil about this, for example. But he also did very well in the last couple of events, so I'm not worried at all."

Hamilton will partner Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, having replaced the Williams-bound Carlos Sainz. 

"Charles, Lewis, I am not particularly worried about this," Vasseur said. "They have a huge mutual respect, they know each other, they have been talking about this for months now.

"It is much better to fight for first and third or second and third than to fight for 19th and 20th. It is a good issue for a team to have this kind of discussion and approach and I am really convinced again that the performance of the team is coming from the emulation between the two."