Fred Vasseur has a clear message for Ferrari after Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s Jeddah race

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur shared his thoughts on the team's outing at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, calling for consistency amid Lewis Hamilton's gap to Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque bagged his first podium of the 2025 Formula 1 season while Hamilton finished outside the top five.

Barring China, Hamilton has been outpaced by his Scuderia teammate in every qualifying session so far. After his best result of fifth in Bahrain, the Briton hoped to get a handle on his SF-25 woes.

However, the Jeddah Corniche circuit's high-speed demands proved challenging for the seven-time world champion. The track's first sector has a long sequence of medium-to-high-speed corners that exacerbate dirty air issues, making passing difficult. Consequently, Hamilton failed to make much headway from his seventh-place start.

Reflecting upon the same, Vasseur stressed consistent qualifying to mitigate such issues.

“I think we can build up the rest of the season perhaps on this weekend but, for sure, we have to be more consistent. We missed more than P3 in quali yesterday and when you start P4 then you have dirty air, and it is more difficult… It’s good but as I always see also the negative side of this, we have to improve the quali as that starting from a better position could be much better,” he said via Formula1.com

Charles Leclerc's podium at Jeddah had little impact on the driver's standings, as he remained in fifth place while his Mercedes counterpart George Russell holds a 26-point lead over him.

Notably, Lewis Hamilton's replacement at Mercedes, Kimi Antonelli, finished a spot ahead at Jeddah, extending his lead over the Brit by 7 points in the standings.

---

Fred Vasseur calls out 'bullshit' Lewis Hamilton criticisms

Lewis Hamilton's inconsistent results in the first five races have drawn criticism from all quarters of the sport, with many questioning his adaptability to the prancing horse. Despite a sprint race victory in the Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton has struggled to maintain his form, especially on Saturdays.

Talking to Sky Sports post-race at Jeddah, Fred Vasseur laid bare his feelings on Hamilton's critics, stating:

“It’s not dramatic [Hamilton’s decline in form]. We have done five races so far. I know you want to have the big headlines tomorrow that ‘Fred said this.’ But this is f******** b*******t. At the end of the day, we are in competition. You have ups and downs."

Hamilton experienced a dismal start to his 2025 season with a tenth-place finish in the Australian GP. His fortunes worsened in China after a post-race disqualification that saw him drop out of the top ten. Japan saw a similar trend of finishing behind his teammate, as Leclerc finished P4, four spots above Hamilton. Up next, the Brit is set to race at the Miami Grand Prix, looking to break his streak of consecutive sixth-place finishes at the track.