Lewis Hamilton defends Fred Vasseur amid Ferrari exit rumors ahead of Canadian GP
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, left, of Monaco, speaks with Lewis Hamilton, of Britain, at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Montreal. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, left, of Monaco, speaks with Lewis Hamilton, of Britain, at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Montreal. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)
Lewis Hamilton defended Fred Vasseur on Friday amid reports the Ferrari team principal will be ousted before the end of the Formula 1 season.
Reports have swirled for a bit as Hamilton, in his first season with Ferrari, and Charles Leclerc have yet to contend for victories. The speculation hit a new level ahead of this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix as multiple reports indicated Vasseur's time is close to coming to an end.
Advertisement
Ferrari is almost 200 points behind McLaren in the constructors' standings and hasn't won a race since Mexico last season. Leclerc has scored a podium only three times in nine races, while Hamilton's best finish this season is fourth.
Leclerc and Hamilton head into Sunday's race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve ranked fifth and sixth in the driver standings and Hamilton appeared near tears following his sixth-place finish at the Spanish GP in F1's last outing.
The reports about Vasseur have hinted that Red Bull team principal Christian Horner could replace him at Ferrari. Hamilton was disappointed by the speculation.
'He has a my full support. It's definitely not nice to hear that there are stories out there,' Hamilton said Thursday in Montreal. "I love working with Fred. Fred's the main reason I'm in this team and got the opportunity to be here and we're in this together. We're working hard in the background.
Advertisement
'Things aren't perfect, but for me, as I said, I'm here to work with the team but also with Fred. I want Fred here. I do believe Fred is the person to be at the top. Ultimately, (the reports) are nonsense."
Vasseur also received support from Carlos Sainz Jr., who spent two seasons driving for him at Ferrari before Vasseur replaced him ahead of this year with seven-time world champion Hamilton.
Sainz, who now drives for Williams, took issues with 'finger-pointing' among the media covering F1.
'Same story as always, the moment that the results don't click in Ferrari, there's always finger-pointing by the media, and all this chaos happening,' Sainz said. "Fred and I have a great relationship. In the past, obviously, we went through a tough month where he didn't want me and signed Lewis, but apart from that, we made peace about it, and I get on well, and I always rated him as a team principal and as a person.'
Advertisement
Ferrari a year ago finished second to McLaren in the constructors' championship, and based on the addition of Hamilton, many predicted Ferrari would challenge for that title this season. Instead, Ferrari is far off the pace of McLaren as driver championship leader Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have combined to win seven of nine races.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull's reigning three-time world champion, has won twice.
'I thought, honestly, Ferrari could be in the fight for the championship this year. That's what I communicated to Charles, and to the team. For me, everything was coming into place," Sainz said. "I had zero involvement in the development of the '25 cars, so I don't know where they went with the balance, with the setup, and why they are struggling to get a result this year out of it.
'At the same time, probably, McLaren is just doing an excellent job. If McLaren is doing such a good job, then it doesn't matter how good you do, there's just someone performing at a very high level with two super strong drivers and doing very, very good in F1 right now, and that is McLaren.'
Advertisement
Hamilton also explained his tearful frustration in Spain, an emotion that replaced his initial angry outburst at the end of the race. He said both he and Leclerc had issues with their Ferrari's that made them incapable of competing from the midway point of the race.
'I said on the radio that was the worst feeling car that I'd ever had and it truly was,' Hamilton said. 'At the end of the race I was like, 'Geez, I've never experienced something this bad for such a prolonged time through a race.''
It wasn't until hours later when Hamilton met with engineers and learned there was an undisclosed issue hampering the Ferraris.
'There was a bit of a relief to hear that," Hamilton said, "because I definitely didn't feel so terrible afterward.'
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Auburn claims 4 additional 'national championships' on its football resume
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn is claiming four additional football national titles and will call itself a nine-time champion moving forward. The Tigers, for decades, boasted titles in 1957 and 2010. They also claimed the 1913, 1983 and 1993 seasons as meeting national championship qualifications. Now, though, athletic director John Cohen is adding titles from 1910, 1914, 1958 and 2004 to the program's resume. It's laudable by some and laughable by others. 'For too long, Auburn has chosen a humble approach to our program's storied history — choosing to recognize only Associated Press national championships,' Cohen told On3 for a story announcing the decision Tuesday. 'Starting this fall, we have made the decision to honor the accomplishments of our deserving student-athletes, coaches and teams from Auburn's proud history. 'Our visible national championship recognitions now align with the well-established standard used by the NCAA's official record book and our peers across the nation.' The Associated Press, which began handing out its annual national championship trophy in 1936, credits Auburn with two titles: 1957 and 2010. Banners recognizing those seasons hang inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. The other titles Auburn is claiming have varying degrees of validity. For example, the Bowl Championship Series existed in 2004, and the Tigers failed to make the title game. They finished 12-0 and third in the rankings behind undefeated USC and undefeated Oklahoma. Auburn finished second in the AP and the coaches' polls after the Trojans handled the Sooners in the title game. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Auburn claims 4 additional 'national championships' on its football resume
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn is claiming four additional football national titles and will call itself a nine-time champion moving forward. The Tigers, for decades, boasted titles in 1957 and 2010. They also claimed the 1913, 1983 and 1993 seasons as meeting national championship qualifications. Now, though, athletic director John Cohen is adding titles from 1910, 1914, 1958 and 2004 to the program's resume. It's laudable by some and laughable by others. 'For too long, Auburn has chosen a humble approach to our program's storied history — choosing to recognize only Associated Press national championships,' Cohen told On3 for a story announcing the decision Tuesday. 'Starting this fall, we have made the decision to honor the accomplishments of our deserving student-athletes, coaches and teams from Auburn's proud history. 'Our visible national championship recognitions now align with the well-established standard used by the NCAA's official record book and our peers across the nation.' The Associated Press, which began handing out its annual national championship trophy in 1936, credits Auburn with two titles: 1957 and 2010. Banners recognizing those seasons hang inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. The other titles Auburn is claiming have varying degrees of validity. For example, the Bowl Championship Series existed in 2004, and the Tigers failed to make the title game. They finished 12-0 and third in the rankings behind undefeated USC and undefeated Oklahoma. Auburn finished second in the AP and the coaches' polls after the Trojans handled the Sooners in the title game. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
All-Star pitcher Jacob deGrom to miss scheduled start for Texas Rangers due to shoulder fatigue
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Texas Rangers are going to skip Jacob deGrom's scheduled start this week because of shoulder fatigue, but the club said it is merely managing his workload and he is not expected to spend time on the injured list. The five-time All-Star, who was supposed to start Wednesday night in Kansas City, was examined in Texas by Dr. Keith Meister, and the checks came back clean. That means deGrom could make his next start as soon as next week. The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner has pitched 140 1/3 innings across 24 starts this season, going 10-5 with a 2.76 ERA. That is by far the most innings deGrom has thrown since 2019, when he eclipsed 200 for a third consecutive year with the New York Mets. The right-hander missed most of the 2022 season with a stress reaction in his shoulder. He underwent his second Tommy John surgery the following year, and made it back in time to make three brief starts last September. ___
