‘I’m 2000% behind him’ – Vasseur backs Hamilton amid early Ferrari struggles as he insists ‘potential is there’

Fred Vasseur has reiterated that he is “2000% behind” Lewis Hamilton after the Briton experienced a tough weekend at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with the team boss confident that the “potential is there” once Hamilton becomes more comfortable with the car.

Hamilton cut a downbeat figure following his P7 finish in Jeddah, having admitted that he was “fighting the car every corner” and that “nothing I did would work”.

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However, when asked post-race if there was anything that he or the team could do to help the seven-time World Champion in adapting to the SF-25, Vasseur suggested that other outings earlier in the season – including China, where Hamilton took victory in the Sprint – have hinted at what is possible.

“I will be 2000% behind him and I will give him support here, and we will start from tomorrow morning to try to find solutions and reasons and to work on it early in the morning,” Vasseur explained on Sunday evening.

“But honestly, I am not too worried; if you have a look on what he did in China or what he did in the race in Bahrain last week, or even on the first part of the season except in this weekend, the potential is there for sure.

“We just have to adjust the balance because we are, collectively, Lewis and us, we are studying the balance of his car and he is working the tyres and it's a kind of negative spot, but I think the potential of the car is there and we will try to solve that.”

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Pushed on whether this campaign may prove to be a transitional one for Hamilton as he adjusts to the team and the car, Vasseur responded: “In China it was the second race of the season for us, and [he] was able to do the pole position to lead the race from Lap 1 to Lap [19], to finish in front of [Oscar] Piastri and [Max] Verstappen. It's not a transitional thing.”

With Charles Leclerc claiming his first podium of the season by crossing the line in third in Jeddah, Vasseur acknowledged that it is natural for Hamilton to feel disappointed about his own result.

“For sure he's down because when you finish the race in sixth, seventh and your team mate is on the podium, honestly I take it as positive that Lewis is down, because if he was happy with this it wouldn't be normal,” the Team Principal said.

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“He's a racer, he's a competitor, he wants to get the best from what he has and for sure he's disappointed. Now we have to work together to react together, and it will be the only way to move forward.”