Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has mentioned he has zero issues about Lewis Hamilton’s velocity, regardless of the tough finish to the Components 1 season he’s having with Mercedes.
Hamilton has struggled to extract as a lot tempo out of the W15 automotive persistently this yr as his team-mate George Russell.
The seven-time champion additionally had a torrid time on the Qatar Grand Prix as he got here residence twelfth after a bounce begin, a puncture and a drive-through penalty for rushing within the pitlane.
Hamilton accepts that issues are usually not working, for causes that he can not clarify, as he admitted that the efficiency is just not there for the time being.
On Friday in Qatar, he raised eyebrows when he mentioned: “I am positively not quick anymore.”
However whereas issues are usually not clicking with Mercedes proper now, his future employer Ferrari doesn’t see something to be alarmed about.
And its crew boss Vasseur, who has identified Hamilton for years, believes performances like his cost from tenth on the grid to complete second in Las Vegas spotlight simply how good he stays.
Requested if he was fearful about Hamilton’s remarks, Vasseur mentioned: “By no means. Take a look on the 50 laps that he did in Vegas.
“Beginning P10, ending on the gearbox of Russell, I am not fearful in any respect.”
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15
Photograph by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Photos
Mercedes send-off
Hamilton is heading into his closing race weekend with Mercedes in Abu Dhabi, which is certain to be an emotional send-off.
And whereas outcomes could also be laborious to get for the time being, crew boss Toto Wolff says that the present challenges is not going to cloud the recollections of the success their title-winning partnership produced since they got here collectively in 2013.
Talking about coping with the circumstances of this season, realizing Hamilton was leaving, Wolff mentioned: “To be trustworthy, I feel we have all of us collectively, Lewis and the crew, we have performed a great job of that.
“When he took the choice in the beginning of the season to go, we knew it was going to be a bumpy yr forward, and it’s extremely regular.
“He is aware of he’s going to go elsewhere. We all know our future lies with Kimi [Antonelli] after which to undergo the ups and downs, and nonetheless hold it collectively between us, I feel that’s one thing we’ve achieved.
“Now you see these very dangerous races. Clearly, he wears his coronary heart on the sleeve. You specific your feelings and that is completely allowed. It is okay.
“However nothing goes to remove 12 unimaginable years with eight constructors’ and 6 drivers’ championships. And that’s what will likely be within the reminiscence.
“After subsequent Sunday, we’ll look again at this nice time period fairly than a season of races that have been notably dangerous. We’ll stick with the nice recollections.”
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Jonathan Noble
Components 1
Ferrari
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