"This man at least dares to protect him": Fans react to Fred Vasseur's vociferous defence of Lewis Hamilton

F1 fans over social media have reacted to Lewis Hamilton being defended by his Ferrari team principal after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday (April 20). Most fans reacted positively to the boss protecting his driver in public, while others criticized him for his words about the Brit.

Lewis Hamilton has had a tough start to life at Ferrari, as the 40-year-old has struggled to get to grips with the SF-25, and also lags behind his teammate, Charles Leclerc, out on track. Naturally, much has been written in the media about the Brit's poor form, given the sheer popularity of the 7x F1 world champion.

Ferrari team principal, Fred Vasseur, came out in defense of his driver, after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The 56-year-old claimed that Hamilton has been competitive at times during the season, and that the media did not treat Max Verstappen the same way when he finished 7th at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

"It's not dramatic. We did five races so far. I know what you want to have, the big headlines tomorrow that, 'Fred said this', but this is f****** bullshit. At the end of the day, we are in competition. You have ups and downs. I’m not sure that you draw the same conclusion with Max last week, when he was 7th," said Vasseur.

"It is like it is. The competition is tight. You have 10 cars and a couple of tenths. Have a look at Max. He won in Japan – he finished 30 seconds behind Piastri in Bahrain, and in Saudi Arabia, he was P2 and had Pole Position,” he added.

Fans have reacted to this aggressive defense of his driver from Vasseur, praising him for protecting his driver from the media.

"This is why Lewis goes to work. This man atleast dares to protect him," said one fan.

"I want a boss like him," said another fan.

"Thank you for defending Lewis because people swear 5 races is the end of the season!" said another fan.

While majority of the fans praised Vasseur for his defense of Hamilton, there were a few who criticized the Ferrari boss, especially about the Max Verstappen comparison he made in his comments.

"Yeah this is stupid. Max won a race and has 2 second places. He's in the top 3 in the championship. There is zero comparison," noted one fan.

"Max wasn't 4/5 tenths behind his teammate. Vassuer should accept he made the wrong decision to sign Lewis and drop Sainz," said another fan.

"This mentality from a TP is exactly why Ferrari hasn't improved since they fired Binotto. LH fits right in this soft loser mentality," claimed another fan.

Lewis Hamilton has not beaten his teammate in any conventional qualifying sessions or races so far this season. The veteran did manage to hook up his car during the China sprint weekend, claiming pole for the reduced race and converting it into a win.

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Lewis Hamilton has claimed that Ferrari 'bosses' were not happy with his performance after the Saudi Arabian GP

Lewis Hamilton during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Lewis Hamilton claimed that he was aware of 'the bosses' at Ferrari not being happy with his performance at the moment, as he emphasized the need for him to remain calm and composed. The driver finished the Saudi Arabian GP in P7, after having started in the spot as well.

Speaking after the race, Hamilton seemed downbeat as he mentioned that nobody was happy with the time he has been having at the Prancing Horses.

"I’ve just got to keep on taking a deep breath. I know that the fans aren’t happy. I’m sure the team are not happy. I know the bosses are not happy. And I’m not happy with my results," said Hamilton. [via PlanetF1]

Lewis Hamilton has maximized his results more often than not during the races this season, but his main struggles continues being the Saturday. The former Mercedes man has carried his poor 2024 qualifying form into the new season, which is affecting his results with his new team.