Latest news with #FredVasseur
The Guardian
29-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Guardian
Lewis Hamilton labels talk of strained relationship with Ferrari engineer as ‘BS'
Lewis Hamilton has dismissed speculation about what has been interpreted as a fractious relationship with Riccardo Adami, his race engineer at Ferrari, describing it as 'BS' and insisting the pair enjoy a healthy working relationship. The issue has previously been raised several times this season as Hamilton develops his dynamic with Adami and came to the fore once more because of some testy exchanges at the last round in Monaco, including when Hamilton asked his engineer at the end of the race: 'Are you upset with me or something?' To which he appeared to receive no reply. Speaking before this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, Hamilton was insistent that the pair retained a strong relationship. 'There's a lot of speculation, most of it is BS,' he said. 'Ultimately, we have a great relationship. He's been amazing to work with, he's a great guy, working so hard. We both are. 'We don't always get it right every weekend. Do we have disagreements? Like everyone does in relationships but we work through them. We're both in it together. We both want to win a championship together. We're both working towards lifting the team up.' After the race in Monaco the Ferrari team principal, Fred Vasseur, similarly dismissed it as the pair learning to work with one another, combined with some radio issues specific to Monte Carlo. Hamilton finished fifth, well behind his teammate Charles Leclerc who was second. During the race there was some terse communication between the British driver and Adami, with Hamilton believing he was not receiving enough information from his race engineer about the gaps on track. It followed Hamilton's rather dismissive query to the team suggesting they were having a tea break rather than making strategic decisions at the Miami round. Expectations were enormously high when Hamilton joined Ferrari but their car is not up to scratch and every aspect of his relationship with the team has come under scrutiny. He has been clear he expects himself and the Scuderia to do better but was unequivocal his relationship with Adami was not an issue and the focus on it was an irrelevance. 'It's just all noise and we don't really pay any attention to it,' Hamilton said. 'It can continue if you want but it doesn't make any difference to the job that we're trying to do. 'Our relationship is great. And there are no problems. We are constantly learning more and more about each other and adapting the way we want to work. He has worked with lots of different drivers before. But we don't have any problems whatsoever.' Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Beyond Ferrari, the topic set to dominate the weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is the clampdown on flexing front wings that comes into effect in Spain. The technical directive from the FIA is intended to end any debate over whether teams have been running front wings that flex too much and gain an advantage while under load with, in this regard, fingers being pointed at title leaders McLaren. The rule has been brought in for the ninth round of the season to give all the teams time to develop wings that would pass the new load-bearing tests this weekend, with speculation that it might cause something of a reset in the pecking order. However Lando Norris, who won in Monaco, maintained it would not make a difference to McLaren. 'No, not at all,' he said. 'There are tweaks here and there, but nothing that will change how we have to do it.' Having already imposed an updated test on flexing rear wings at the Chinese GP earlier this season which had no impact on McLarens's pace advantage, the team are bullish this too will not usurp them from the top spot.
Courier-Mail
29-05-2025
- Automotive
- Courier-Mail
‘Game changer': New F1 rule change brought in for Spanish Grand Prix
Don't miss out on the headlines from F1. Followed categories will be added to My News. A new rule is being introduced at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix and it has the potential to shake-up the remainder of the Formula One season. After McLaren was investigated for its rear wing 'mini DRS' last year and its rear tyre cooling advantage, front wings are the latest area of F1 cars where the rules have been tightened up. The FIA has confirmed from this weekend, all F1 teams will be subjected to updated static load tests. Specifically, the maximum permitted front wing deflection under load will be reduced from 15mm to 10mm. Five millimetres may not sound like a lot, but it gives teams less room to design a front wing that can flex at high speeds. Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every qualifying session and race in the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship™ LIVE in 4K. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. The sport's governing body doesn't want aero elasticity to be a talking point in F1. The FIA's Nikolas Tombazis said: 'When championship battles become intense, teams tend to focus on each other's cars a lot, and naturally they raise concerns and over the latter half of the season we came to the conclusion that we needed to toughen a bit more the tests for 2025. 'We frequently test in parc fermé conditions — either on Saturday after qualifying or Sunday morning, as obviously, in parc fermé teams cannot make changes to their car.' It remains to be seen if the front wing change will have an effect on McLaren's dominance or bring the already condensed F1 grid even closer together. McLaren is way out in front in the constructors championship on 319 points, with Mercedes 172 points behind. But only five points separates Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari in the battle for second. Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur is hopeful the change will be a 'game changer' and help turn his team's fortunes around following a difficult start to the season. 'Barcelona is on the calendar of everybody in the paddock with the new regulation for the front wing,' Vasseur said. 'We are working on it for ages now and this can be a game changer for everybody, because we don't know the impact on every single team of the new regulation. 'I think we stick to this, and we'll be focused on this to have the better exploitation of the new front wing.' F1's front wing clampdown begins this weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix. (Photo by) Ferrari's Charles Leclerc told Sky Sports: 'You can hear rumours in the paddock and some people will be more affected than others, for sure. I don't think on our side is going to change a lot, but we'll see.' Speaking to Supercars legend Mark Skaife predicted the front wing change to 'have an effect' on the status quo. 'If the other teams think that whatever the front wing change gives their car a step up or it gets them closer to McLaren, then that's good for the game,' Skaife said. Sauber's team principal Jonathan Wheatley said: 'I'm a very optimistic person and I'm hoping that other teams are going to suffer more than we are.' It remains to be seen what effect the rule change has. (Photo by) Ferrari's team principal Fred Vasseur hopes it will be a 'game changer'. (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP) 'Healthy' McLaren battle has Prost-Senna potential After eight races, Oscar Piastri leads his McLaren teammate Lando Norris by just three points following the Brit's victory in Monaco. Max Verstappen can't be counted out in the championship battle, which is set to go down to the wire this year. Piastri will look to strike back this weekend in Barcelona, where he has struggled in his two appearances at the circuit, qualifying 10th both times. McLaren have opted not to pick a No. 1 driver this year and Skaife believes the rivalry within the team can only be a good thing. 'It's very, very healthy to have the level of competition that they've demonstrated,' he said. 'I know they're not the names yet, but it's reminiscent for me of the Senna-Prost battles. 'In the history of the sport, the Senna-Prost battle at McLaren has probably been the pinnacle, not just because their extraordinary careers and their driving, but because they went about it differently. 'I would have said pre-Monaco that Oscar had Lando's measure. Oscar's been superb. 'Then on the weekend Lando had the counterpunch in a big response, especially in qualifying. 'I'm intrigued. I'm absolutely fascinated as to the swings and roundabouts of how this year's going to unfold.' Watch every practice and qualifying session of the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend, including the race on Sunday at 11pm AEST on Kayo Sports. Originally published as 'Game changer': New F1 rule change brought in for Spanish Grand Prix
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
‘Ferrari is 2025's biggest disappointment,' former F1 driver says
Jolyon Palmer didn't mince words during an interview this week, calling Ferrari the biggest disappointment of the 2025 Formula 1 season. The former F1 driver said the hype around Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari—the sport's winningest driver teaming up with its most legendary squad—was through the roof when announced last season. But as Palmer said, things 'aren't clicking as they'd hoped.' 'Ferrari have been the most disappointing team so far, having finished 2024 so strongly,' Palmer said. 'With the signing of Hamilton, this should have been a glory year for them, and we saw a glimpse of that early on in China, when Lewis was happier with the car and took the Sprint win, and the team were competitive.' Advertisement Read More: F1 Ferrari Under Pressure: Hamilton confirms car 'issue' amid ride height concerns Miami Grand Prix radio chatter laid bare internal frustrations Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images Palmer pointed to the season's last race, the Miami Grand Prix, and how it fully exposed the complete breakdown of Ferrari's weekend operations. In Miami, all the negative aspects of Ferrari's performance were made public thanks to the team's radio chatter, which let everyone hear the frustrations between Hamilton and Charles Leclerc during the race's final stages. Instead of sounding like a championship squad, Fred Vasseur's group sounded more like a soap opera than an F1 team. Advertisement 'Everything seemed to go wrong,' Palmer said, capturing the frustration that rippled through the Scuderia's garage. 'Whilst it might seem like the drivers are at odds with the pit wall a lot, much of it has to do with an innate frustration at the lack of overall performance.' Related: Top 5 Most Dominant Formula 1 Cars of All Time Has Ferrari botched their 2025 strategy? scuderia ferrari fred vasseur Jolyon Palmer F1 formula 1 You might think Ferrari has botched their strategy in 2025, but Palmer's not buying it. 'This wasn't about pit wall screw-ups,' Palmer said. The real problem? The car just wasn't fast enough. Miami laid bare Ferrari's struggle to squeeze performance out of their machine, leaving them trailing leaders like McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes. Advertisement Palmer called it a tough weekend for car performance — and that's putting it mildly. This isn't just a one-race blip. Ferrari's issues hint at deeper troubles that could derail their season and Hamilton's quest for glory. As it turns out, the Scuderia's struggles show how tricky it is to make this dream team work. Despite this, Palmer believes Ferrari has the ability to turn it around this season. 'iff the team can find a better window for the car, then I've no doubt Ferrari still have the drivers and procedures in place to deliver victories,' Palmer reiterated. The Tifosi are restless, and the clock's ticking for Ferrari to turn things around. If they can't get that car up to speed, 2025 might be remembered as the year the Hamilton-Ferrari fairy tale fizzled out before it even started. Check out The Sportsnaut Interview podcast — we explore the massive growth of F1 and how female fans are at the forefront of its popularity. 🎧 ⬇️
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
Ferrari F1 boss in ‘stop' plea after Lewis Hamilton's opening two months at team
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has urged onlookers to 'stop' overreacting to Lewis Hamilton 's performance after an underwhelming first two months at the Scuderia. Hamilton joined Ferrari after 12 years and six world titles at Mercedes, but has struggled to perform so far this year with just two top-five finishes in the first seven rounds of 2025. Last time out in Imola, in his first race in Italy for Ferrari, Hamilton recovered from a poor qualifying spot of 12th to finish fourth – his best grand prix result yet for Ferrari. Yet Vasseur has defended the 40-year-old Brit and his displays, insisting everyone needs to 'stay calm' as Ferrari strive for more performance in their SF-25 car, starting in Monaco this weekend. 'I think we have to stop with this,' Vasseur said in Imola, when asked whether Hamilton's adaptation to the team depends on his performance. 'Every single driver is working on himself, working with the team, trying to develop something, trying to do a better job. 'And it's not that the Saturday evening he's not well prepared, not in good condition with the car, and Sunday he's a magician and everything is perfect. 'We just have to stay calm. For sure, we need to improve the communication, the understanding of the process and the tools and the software and everything. 'But honestly he did a very good job in China, he did a very good job today, step by step we will be there.' Hamilton currently lies sixth in the championship standings, 93 points off leader Oscar Piastri. The seven-time world champion acknowledged that qualifying on Saturday is the biggest concern for the team at the moment. 'We have just got to unlock the potential in qualifying,' Hamilton said ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, where qualifying will be vital given the difficulties of overtaking on the tight, twisty street circuit. 'If we had qualified better, we would have been fighting for a podium. I've got some ideas that I'm going to try and apply next week [in Monaco]. People been a little bit reluctant to do it, because we've had lots of other things to focus on, but I'm hoping next week we can find something to unlock some more performance. 'Our car is generally good at high speed, OK in medium, and not as strong as others in low. Obviously, the next race [in Monaco] is all low, so we'll see how we get on.' Ferrari are currently fourth in the constructors' championship, a whopping 165 points behind leaders McLaren but just 17 points off third-placed Red Bull.
The Independent
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
Lewis Hamilton's comeback saves Ferrari's home race
Lewis Hamilton finished fourth in the Imola Grand Prix, Ferrari 's best result of the season so far. Hamilton started 12th but gained positions due to his strong race pace and two safety car periods. Despite the improved result, Ferrari still struggles in qualifying, impacting their race performance. Team principal Fred Vasseur is under pressure to improve Ferrari's performance. Red Bull 's victory in Imola highlighted Ferrari's long-standing issues and the challenge they face.
