Fred Vasseur hits back at Lewis Hamilton ‘useless’ verdict in Hungary qualifying

After being knocked out of qualifying in the second round ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton branded himself “useless” and told Ferrari they should probably change the driver.

But the Scuderia’s team principal Fred Vasseur disagrees; it was a session where only a few tenths made a difference, and he feels the team can learn from this.

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur defends Lewis Hamilton in Hungary

After qualifying 12th for the Hungarian Grand Prix — a session in which his teammate Charles Leclerc snagged a commanding pole position — Lewis Hamilton was absolutely dejected.

“It’s just me every time,” the frustrated driver told Sky Sports as his teammate continued into Q3.

“I’m useless, absolutely useless.

“Team has no problem, you’ve seen the car’s on pole. They probably need to change driver.”

Earlier this weekend, Hamilton spoke at length about the difficulties of slotting in with the Ferrari team, and how he’s looking forward to summer break if only to have a moment to collect his thoughts.

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Speaking to Sky Sport Italia, Fred Vasseur had both praise for Charles Leclerc as well as words of motivation for Lewis Hamilton.

Regarding Leclerc’s 27th pole position, Vasseur stated, “It was the hardest pole we have achieved. We have always struggled to get the tyres into the right window this season, and we were almost out in Q2.

“We survived by a tenth. Charles finally got the tyres switched on.

“Everything is so sensitive, between first and tenth, the margin is tiny. In the end, everyone was on the edge.

“There were many ups and downs but in the end, we were stronger than expected. We must remember how difficult this session was, and we need to learn from it for the future.”

While Leclerc spoke in depth about the sudden change in track conditions and weather between Q2 and Q3 as contributing to the field’s overall arresting of pace, Hamilton failed to get that far. The best he could manage was 12th.

Part of the issue, Vasseur explains, comes on the out lap.

“We know that the out lap is crucial,” the Scuderia boss said.

“If you overheat the tyres in Turn 1, you risk trouble at the end of the lap, or you just slide too much.

“Hamilton was out in Q2, Charles only just made it. Lewis missed it by a few hundredths, but managing the out lap is always tough.

“Of course he’s frustrated, but it was only a few tenths that made the difference.

“It’s a shame. We have to learn from this: the result is good, but we cannot rest on our laurels.”

Further, Vasseur is confident in Ferrari’s race pace simulation, in which he claims the Prancing Horse is comparable to the McLaren duo.

Leclerc will have an advantage on the field starting from pole today, but will Hamilton be able to fight back up into the points?

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