During the recent Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix, Ferrari’s Team Principal Fred Vasseur disclosed that both of the team’s drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, had to manage technical issues with their cars during the final stages of the race. Despite these setbacks, Leclerc managed to secure a third-place finish, marking his second consecutive podium. On the other hand, Hamilton struggled significantly, ending the race in sixth after initially showing strong potential.
Hamilton started the race ahead of Leclerc, but early pressure from his teammate led to Ferrari instructing a position swap by lap nine. Shortly after, Hamilton began reporting a lack of rear grip and eventually fell behind by ten seconds. Despite regaining some pace and closing the gap to the cars ahead, his progress was disrupted by the deployment of the Safety Car, which neutralized his advantage.
In the final laps, Hamilton was overtaken by Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg but reclaimed sixth position following a time penalty issued to Max Verstappen. After the race, Hamilton described his experience as his “worst race ever.” Vasseur, however, downplayed the dramatic tone, emphasizing that technical issues in the final stint were primarily to blame for the underwhelming result.
Vasseur cautioned against jumping to conclusions based solely on a driver’s emotional post-race comments. He noted that Hamilton had spent most of the race ahead of George Russell and suggested that Hamilton’s disappointment didn’t reflect the full context. According to Vasseur, a mechanical problem emerged in the last stint before the Safety Car, which hindered Hamilton’s performance.
Leclerc also faced difficulties as his lap times dropped toward the end of the race, putting his podium finish at risk. This vulnerability became evident when George Russell and Max Verstappen collided at Turn 5, allowing Leclerc to maintain third. Though Mercedes boss Toto Wolff suggested there was oil leaking from Leclerc’s car, Vasseur denied that this was the cause of his problem.
Vasseur confirmed that Leclerc had been battling a separate issue, unrelated to Hamilton’s. While he did not disclose the exact nature of the problem, he insisted it was not oil-related. These late-race challenges for both drivers highlight Ferrari’s ongoing struggle with reliability, despite their aggressive SF-25 setups yielding mixed outcomes.
