Hamilton embarked on a new chapter this season by switching to Ferrari for the 2025 campaign after more than a decade with Mercedes.
Alongside Charles Leclerc, now in his seventh year with the team, the pair were expected to push Ferrari back into title contention after a near-miss last season.
However, the first half of 2025 has been anything but straightforward for Hamilton.
The Briton has had to adjust to a new car philosophy, different team culture, and fresh working practices after nearly two decades in the Mercedes environment.
Hamilton’s early-season struggles were highlighted most recently during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, where he called his own performance “useless” after failing to make it out of Q2 while teammate Leclerc went on to secure pole position.
However, speaking prior to the Hungarian Grand Prix, Vasseur said he believed the complexity of Hamilton’s transition was not fully appreciated.
“I think perhaps that we underestimate the challenge for Lewis at the beginning of the season,” Vasseur told F1.com.
“He spent almost 10 years with McLaren and then 10 years with Mercedes – that’s almost 20 years with Mercedes in the same environment.
“It was a huge change for Lewis in terms of culture, in terms of people around him, in terms of software, in terms of car, in terms of every single topic was a big change perhaps that we underestimate this, Lewis and myself.
“But I’m very, very pleased because the last four or five races he was back into the pace.”
After finishing just 14 points behind champions McLaren in the 2024 teams’ standings, Ferrari have found themselves battling to hold onto second place in 2025, fending off a resurgent Mercedes.
Leclerc has arguably been Ferrari’s most consistent driver this season, and although he is yet to win a race in 2025, the Monegasque driver has secured five podium finishes and his spectacular pole at the Hungaroring.
“He’s doing well,” Vasseur said. “For sure the season is not easy, it is not easy for Charles, it is not easy for the team.
“It’s much easier to manage for the driver when the car is flying and we had some issues at the beginning, but the reaction was positive and very good.
“In this kind of season when you have a lot of expectation and you struggle at the beginning it’s very easy to give up and he never gave up.
“He was always pushing, pushing the team, pushing himself and it was a very strong collaboration with Lewis.
“This is very positive because it’s in this kind of situation and journey that you see the reaction of the people.”
Vasseur signed a multi-year contract extension prior to the Hungarian Grand Prix, ending speculation about his future amid reports of pressure in the Italian media, and he said that it was done with the aim to secure long-term stability at the team.
“This new deal, then, helps release some of that pressure – and bring a bit of perspective,” Vasseur said. “It’s a good step into the process.
“We had a couple of discussions and there were some rumours in the press the last couple of weeks. It’s not easy for the stability of the team and for the mood of the team but now this is behind us.
“It’s important. It’s a good step. We have to be ready for the last part of the season.
“We are fighting with Mercedes and Red Bull for P2 and we want to win some races until the end.
Vasseur added that with the sweeping new regulation changes coming into effect in 2026, it was even more important to continue with stable management and team cohesion.
“The 2026 project is a huge challenge that we have to be all fully aligned and all together to manage it,” he explained.
Vasseur also emphasised the time and collective effort required to build a championship-winning team, pointing to the histories of other successful teams in F1.
“I’m really convinced that it’s taking time,” he said. “It’s taking time at Ferrari, but everywhere in general if you have a look at the good story of F1 that when Christian [Horner] joined Red Bull or when Jean [Todt] joined Ferrari, before all these good success stories [it] took time before the first win.
“You need a couple of years to build up a team, to recruit people that you want to have with you, and then it also takes time to work together.
“We want to be very agile in F1, but the reality is that we have a lot of inertia.”
While Ferrari have yet to return to the top step of the podium in 2025, the team is targeting race wins before the campaign ends.
“I’m really convinced that we are going on the right direction and that we’ll do it,” Vasseur said.
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