Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has made it clear he has no concerns about Lewis Hamilton’s qualifying form after the Briton said he was ‘furious’ at the Italian Grand Prix last weekend.
Hamilton will leave Mercedes for their F1 rivals next year, once the current campaign is out of the way.
The 39-year-old has improved over the past few months after a shaky start to the season, winning races in Britain and Belgium.
But he struggled in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix last weekend, with Hamilton left frustrated by his issues at Monza.
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has made it clear he has no concerns about Lewis Hamilton’s qualifying form after the Briton said he was ‘furious’ at the Italian Grand Prix last weekend.
Hamilton will leave Mercedes for their F1 rivals next year, once the current campaign is out of the way.
The 39-year-old has improved over the past few months after a shaky start to the season, winning races in Britain and Belgium.
But he struggled in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix last weekend, with Hamilton left frustrated by his issues at Monza.
F1 news Lewis Hamilton
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton recently admitted he was ‘furious’ with his form in qualifyingREUTERS
“I’m not very good… it’s as simple as that,” he said after ending up in sixth.
“I’m just not very good at qualifying… I clearly have [got bad].
“I can’t put a lap together at the moment and it’s unbelievably frustrating.
“I’m furious. Furious. I could have been pole, I could have been… at least on the front row and I just didn’t do the job in the end.
“I lost a tenth and a half into Turn 1, or through Turn 1 and 2, and I lost another tenth in the last corner, so there’s no one to blame but myself and it’s… Qualifying has been my weakness for a minute now, and I can’t figure it out.
“I’ll keep trying.”
Yet Vasseur has no concerns about the Stevenage-born racer.
When asked about Hamilton, the Ferrari chief said: “No. He won in Spa.
“I will take the win at the end of the race, rather than the pole position.”
Hamilton is arguably the greatest driver in F1 history, having won seven titles during his glittering career.
But he’s struggled to compete with Max Verstappen over the past three years, much to his frustration.
Hamilton is leaving Mercedes for Ferrari because he believes the grass is greener at Maranello.
Kimi Antonelli will be his replacement.
And the young Italian has revealed he wants the No 12 on his F1 car as he prepares for his big promotion.
“I have many numbers that I like, but 12 is a special one,” said Antonelli.
“I have been using it since F4 [and] it always went well, so there’s no reason to change it for next year.”
The 18-year-old also lavished praise on Hamilton, too, saying: “Well, I think, it’s not possible to replace [him]. He’s such a great figure in the sport today and he has achieved so much in his career.
“I don’t want to see it as his replacement, I’m just the next driver for Mercedes. He’s a really great guy, he’s given me some support, so I’m really happy.”
