Lewis Hamilton has said Ferrari’s first victory of the season would not have happened without a series of changes he pushed for behind the scenes, crediting team boss Fred Vasseur for backing his demands.
Hamilton claimed his first Ferrari win at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, on his 31st start for the team.
The seven-time world champion endured an awful first season for the team and Sunday’s result continued a resurgence with the team’s new car.
Vasseur, a key part in the deal to sign Hamilton from Mercedes, continually backed him in public even through some of the lowest moments of 2025.
Following his win on Sunday, Hamilton lauded the Frenchman’s leadership and acknowledged the difficult position he has put Vasseur in at times in a Ferrari organisation infamous for being political and inflexible behind the scenes.
When asked by ESPN what role Vasseur has played in Hamilton’s turnaround, Hamilton said: “Well, firstly, I wouldn’t be in this team without Fred. Fred is the one that made it happen, of which I’m incredibly grateful to him for.
“I think last year was really, really tough for him to deal with. Me coming was a big shock to the system because I am very, very vocal. If I see something that I don’t think is right, or I push very, very hard, that’s at the core of who I am and I’m relentless with it.
“I think it’s not easy to be on the receiving end of that when you’re also juggling a whole organisation, you know, and a culture that in its own is set in a certain way. But, and also, you know, he’s French in an Italian culture. It was a lot for him to juggle and I think very, very tough because obviously he would do media as well.
“But he continued to believe, continued to be a good friend, continued to be a great teammate and an ally and really supportive. And, you know, ultimately, he really listened at the end and I had to really ask, really ask for some of the changes. And he enabled them to happen, which I’m forever grateful for, because this wouldn’t have happened without those changes. So big, big thank you to him.”
A few changes Hamilton made this year have been notable.
He came into the new season with a change in race engineer, Carlo Santi, who replaced Riccardo Adami, who repeatedly clashed with Hamilton on the radio during races in 2025.
After Sunday’s win, Hamilton said his new relationship with Santi is similar to the famous one he had with old Mercedes race engineer Peter Bonnington.
Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc also came into the last race having switched away from Brembo brake materials in favour of Carbon Industries, which Hamilton had used during his Mercedes career.
Hamilton made the switch at the Japanese Grand Prix in March and has credited his uptick in form since then to the switch, among other things.
