Lewis Hamilton: Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur says convincing seven-time world champion to join was 'not difficult'

Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur says it was "not difficult at all" to convince Lewis Hamilton to join the team from 2025 and he has no concerns about the seven-time champion's troubled qualifying form during his final season at Mercedes.

Vasseur also said the prospect of a competitive team-mate duel between Hamilton and Charles Leclerc would ultimately be good for the team as they chase a return to world title glory.

The Frenchman was speaking at Ferrari's headquarters in Maranello during the traditional Christmas lunch with the media, just weeks before Hamilton formally joins the team in a transfer first revealed in February.

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While the timing of the blockbuster switch ultimately came out of the blue, Vasseur - Hamilton's former team boss in the junior categories in the mid-2000s - admitted it had ultimately been straightforward to get the 39-year-old to sign.

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"In 2023 we won more races than Mercedes, and the beginning of the season was good also, so that it was not too difficult to convince him that Ferrari would be a good project," said Vasseur.

"And I think he had the project to drive for Ferrari in his mind for at least 22 years, or 23 years, because we were discussing about this in 2004.

"It meant that it was not too difficult.

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"I think sometimes it's also a matter of coincidence, or to align all the planets, that he is on the market and that Ferrari has a seat available, and so on.

"But the contact was an easy one. We started to discuss one year ago, and it was not difficult to convince him, at all."

Vasseur 'never, never, never worried' by Hamilton form

While the Briton will arrive at Italy's effective national team as the most successful driver in F1 history, Hamilton - who turns 40 on January 7 - saw his final year at Mercedes blighted by uncharacteristically poor form in qualifying.

Hamilton even suggested at the season's penultimate round in Qatar that he was "definitely not fast any more" after qualifying seventh for the Sprint while team-mate George Russell made the front row.

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But asked what he made of such comments, Vasseur pointed to Hamilton's charge from 16th on the grid to fourth at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as evidence of his new driver's undimmed pace.

"Ask the question to Russell on Sunday," said Vasseur in reference to Hamilton overtaking his team-mate on the final lap of the season.

"I think he had a tough moment in qualy, but also I don't think that the qualy of Abu Dhabi, for example, was linked to the performance of Lewis.

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"He had very good races in Vegas and in Abu Dhabi. And I was never - really, never, never, never - worried about this situation. This situation, and I don't criticise Lewis or Mercedes, but this situation is not easy to manage. And I can understand that if it's not going very well, you can suffer in this relationship.

"He was not very well in his mind, but he was clear in Brazil about this, for example. But he also did very well in the last couple of events, so I'm not worried at all."

'Leclerc and Hamilton have huge mutual respect'

Since taking charge of Ferrari at the start of 2023, Vasseur has been clear in implementing an approach under which neither Leclerc nor his team-mate Carlos Sainz were prioritised .

The Frenchman insists he will seek to maintain the same balance with his new driver pairing, insisting the competitive battle between Leclerc and Sainz has been a major factor in the team's overall progress.

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In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News, Vasseur said: "I prefer to fight for one-two than for 19-20, this is clear!

"I think it's also part of performance. Clearly, the last two years I let them race on track and it was for the benefit of the team because the emulation we created like this was part of the recovery when we had tough times.

"They [Leclerc and Sainz] had huge respect between them."

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Hamilton and Leclerc have shared a respectful relationship since the Monegasque joined the grid in 2018, and Vasseur is confident that can continue at Ferrari.

He added: "Charles-Lewis, I'm not particularly worried about this. They have a huge mutual respect, they know each other, they are speaking about this for months now."

When will Hamilton first drive a Ferrari?

While Hamilton will not get to drive Ferrari's 2025 challenger until pre-season testing in Bahrain from February 26-28, there is plenty of interest around when the Brit will take to the track in an older model of the car.

Vasseur said the unpredictable winter weather at Ferrari's private Fiorano circuit means he cannot provide an exact date, but that what he expects to be an "emotional" first outing in red for Hamilton will take place at some point in January.

"Probably yes but we are dependent on the weather, it's not easy in January," Vasseur said.

"It's true that it's quite emotional because I think he has this moment in his mind for probably 20 years. That means it will be emotional - but it has to be emotional for one lap and then to be focused!"

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Vasseur said Ferrari are not planning to arrange any special media events to present Hamilton as a Ferrari driver, with the team boss deeming F1's official season launch on February 18, and Ferrari's own launch a day later as sufficient.

"We will have the first test days with TPC [Testing Of Previous Cars] and Pirelli and then the launch of the championship first [at The O2] on the 18th [of February], then the launch of the car on the 19th and then we will go directly to Bahrain and it will be a tough sequence until Melbourne.

"But it's true that it's a short preparation because we have something like four weeks at the factory before the first event, but it is like it is."

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