Frederic Vasseur explains the importance of Lewis Hamilton for Charles Leclerc
The words of Frederic Vasseur
Frederic Vasseur spoke to Sky Sport microphones on the sidelines of Ferrari’s Christmas lunch in Maranello. "It's been a good season, but we are all a bit tired,‖ he began. Long year with 24 races, but when you get results è it's easy to go on and fight until the end. I think despite everything it was a good season, although we missed 14 points at the end to win the Constructors".
"I don’t consider this my Ferrari,” added the Frenchman, “I don’t want to see it this way this season, becauseé è è a process that is not è finished, even the new grafts (Serra and D'Ambrosio, ed.) are part of a process that is not è finished yet. The strength of this team è is passion and determination, as we have shown this year. We must always fight and believe until’the last corner of the last track. We will always do it".
From 2025 Charles Leclerc will be joined by Lewis Hamilton: "I am happy with what he has done this year, he has improved so much, but he can grow even more. He's fast and he knows it, but è in race management he can do even more, but è he is on the right track. In the challenge with Hamilton he will continue to do so. I am sure that he has great respect for Lewis and will be able to absorb like a sponge the good from this situation".
"I feel that Lewis was not always very happy, he was probably already a little bit focused on the future,” the Ferrari team principal continued.
Forò I am really convinced that he will be in very good shape, he has shown that in the last few races. In Abu Dhabi like Las Vegas è he was able to do some very good tests. I am sure he will feel è very good here. A few weeks to throw himself headlong into the project? I am not worried. Machines and rules have not changed, and a multiple champion is coming. The simulator will definitely help him. He will get to test an old car in January but we will also decide based on the weather".
"Hamilton’s first time in the Rossa? January. Surely it will depend on the weather, January is not è an easy month. The window available is not è very large becauseé we have to be ready for the presentation of the car that will beà February 19".
"We can’t say now if it will beà our year 2025, but I have confidence in the project we are working on. It’ll still be as intense a challenge as the one that just ended. We have seen it again this year: with 4 teams vying for poles and wins it will be the details that make the difference: of track, temperatures, tires and attitude. I am very proud of how we have dealt with the difficulties this year, for’we need to take one more step towards consistency" concluded Vasseur.
