Ferrari chose to replace Carlos Sainz with Lewis Hamilton at the end of this year before the season had already begun, but the Spaniard is in top form while the Briton is struggling with Mercedes.
Frederic Vasseur sharply responded to a journalist regarding Lewis Hamilton following another impressive display by Carlos Sainz.
Sainz is set to depart from Ferrari at the conclusion of the season, as the team opted to bring in the seven-time champion. Despite this decision, the Spaniard has showcased his talent with a victory and two additional podium finishes in the three races he has competed in so far.
On the other hand, Hamilton has been facing difficulties in finding his form with the underperforming Mercedes car. His highest achievement up until now has been a seventh-place finish in the opening race of the season in Bahrain. However, in the three races that followed, he has only managed to score an additional four points.
In the recent Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton finished ninth, earning him two more points. Meanwhile, Sainz secured a remarkable third place, trailing only the dominant Red Bulls. As expected, team boss Vasseur was once again questioned about the choice to release the 29-year-old driver.
It is evident that he is weary of discussing the topic. The Frenchman cut off the reporter before he could finish his question, swiftly defending his future driver Hamilton and dismissing any comparisons to his departing star.
“We face the same inquiry every weekend,” Vasseur stated sternly, then continued, “Simply refer to my response from last week. Moving on to the next question.”
Hamilton appeared to share a similar sentiment as his future boss when it came to inquiries about Ferrari’s current dominance over Mercedes. In a display of frustration, the 39-year-old directed his annoyance towards a reporter as he swiftly exited the print media area following the Suzuka race.
Initially, Hamilton was asked about his race performance, to which he curtly responded, “It was alright.” However, he took offense to the subsequent question from the same journalist, who inquired, “Do you feel a tinge of envy towards the Ferraris right now? Considering their superior speed?”
Hamilton responded, “Are there any more insightful inquiries you could pose?” The journalist expressed regret, yet before another question could be raised, the Mercedes driver departed, and his media liaison politely stated, “Thank you.”
Later, he shared his views on his latest Mercedes vehicle in the TV pen. He remarked, “The car has not met my expectations. It has not met our expectations… The hard tire performed poorly, while the medium was significantly better. Looking back, we should have retained two medium tires, but overall, the car’s performance was subpar today.”
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