Fred Vasseur takes blame for Lewis Hamilton’s miscommunication at Australian GP

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur confessed that the pitwall could've better communicated with Lewis Hamilton during the Australian GP.

Fred Vasseur takes blame for Lewis Hamilton’s miscommunication at Australian GP

Fred Vasseur (via IMAGO), Lewis Hamilton (via IMAGO)

Lewis Hamilton made his long-awaited debut for Scuderia Ferrari last weekend at the Australian GP. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned for the two parties with the British driver being nowhere close to fighting for victory at Albert Park. Now, team boss Fred Vasseur has admitted that the Italian team made mistakes in certain areas.

The Ferrari pitwall instructed Hamilton to stay out when rain poured on the track midway through the race. The Scuderia followed Max Verstappen who had also decided not to pit. However, the track conditions got worse with the Dutchman eventually heading in for a set of intermediates, while Lewis Hamilton continued on slick tires.

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This had a massive impact on the Briton’s race as he lost ground during the treacherous track conditions. Though, he did pit after a couple of laps. Post-race, Lewis Hamilton claimed that this was a wrong call and he should’ve been brought to the pits earlier.

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Fred Vasseur pointed out that this was the first race for Hamilton with Ferrari. As such, it was the first time the driver and the team were communicating on the team radio during a Grand Prix. Vasseur admitted that the team must avoid such a communication issue in the future, confessing that the strategy discussions in Australia were not clean at all.

It’s the first race, the first time we have to communicate between the pit wall and the car. But we can do a better job, to know each other a bit better. For sure, it was not a clean one at all, but the strategy was difficult.

Fred Vasseur said, as quoted by RacingNews365

Ferrari labels Australian GP an ‘extreme’ weekend

The Australian GP was one of the most thrilling races in recent times with so many action-packed moments for fans. Though, it was a real challenge for drivers with even experienced stars like Carlos Sainz crashing out due to the weather conditions.

Charles Leclerc and Fred Vasseur (via IMAGO)
Charles Leclerc and Fred Vasseur (via IMAGO)

Fred Vasseur pointed out that the race weekend was quite extreme. The Frenchman highlighted that Albert Park is not a permanent circuit, but is open to the public for most of the year. The almost street-circuit like nature makes the track more challenging for drivers.

The weekend was quite extreme for different reasons, the fact that it is not a permanent track.

Fred Vasseur explained

Additionally, Vasseur emphasized that the front of the pack was very close this season. As such, Lewis Hamilton faces stiff competition against McLaren and Red Bull. The ever-changing conditions on the track only made matters more difficult during the race. So much so, that the Ferrari boss admitted that it was one of the most difficult weekends to manage.

The fact the group is changing a lot, and the fact that we had these conditions. I think it’s probably been one of the most difficult weekends to manage.

Fred Vasseur added

Certainly, Fred Vasseur is not happy after a rather disappointing start to the 2025 season, a season which is supposed to get Maranello back on-track with Lewis Hamilton’s arrival. On the other hand, Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc did not do much better due to the same strategic problems.

What’s next for Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari?

Ahead of the 2025 season, the Tifosi had high hopes on Scuderia Ferrari for the world title. Some expected that Lewis Hamilton’s arrival was what the team needed to finally end its long title drought in Formula 1. However, things are much more complicated this year.

Lewis Hamilton, Fred Vasseur and Charles Leclerc (via IMAGO)
Lewis Hamilton, Fred Vasseur and Charles Leclerc (via IMAGO)

The Prancing Horse is still behind McLaren and Red Bull in terms of pure pace, with even Mercedes outperforming the Scuderia at the Australian GP. Though, it has only been one race, this has put Ferrari on the back foot amongst the front runners.

Maranello has a lot of of work to do to bounce back from this setback at the Chinese GP. Lewis Hamilton would hoping for a cleaner, hassle-free weekend in Shanghai to get a true picture of his prospects for this year. While Ferrari would trying to understand its true pace compared to the rest of the grid. As such, it remains to be seen if the seven-time world champion can potentially find himself in the battle for victory next weekend.