Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur offered words of support for Lewis Hamilton after his Q2 exit in qualifying for the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix.
The Brit missed out on the final part of qualifying at the Hungaroring, with his misery further compounded by seeing team-mate Charles Leclerc take a shock pole position.
It was a demoralising blow for Hamilton, who was understandably downcast after the session.
Branding himself “absolutely useless,” the seven-time World Champion added: “Team’s not the problem, we can see the other car is on pole, so we probably need to change driver.”
Vasseur did not approach the gulf between his two drivers with the same glass-half-empty approach, offering a reminder that Leclerc only narrowly made it into Q3 himself.
“We know that the out lap is crucial,” Vasseur told Sky Sports Italia. “If you overheat the tyres in Turn 1, you risk trouble at the end of the lap, or you just slide too much.
“Hamilton was out in Q2, Charles only just made it. Lewis missed it by a few hundredths, but managing the out lap is always tough.
“Of course he’s frustrated, but it was only a few tenths that made the difference.
“It’s a shame. We have to learn from this: the result is good, but we cannot rest on our laurels.”
Vasseur acknowledges the margins as Leclerc finds sweet spot
Vasseur was, of course, naturally delighted for Leclerc to steal what was essentially a shock pole position, in a strange Q3 in which a number of drivers, including George Russell and even both Aston Martins, looked capable of snatching top spot.
The Monegasque’s 1:15.372s was just two hundredths quicker than McLaren’s Oscar Piastri’s time to secure his 27th career pole.
“It was the hardest pole we have achieved,” Vasseur added. “We have always struggled to get the tyres into the right window this season, and we were almost out in Q2.
“We survived by a tenth. Charles finally got the tyres switched on.
“Everything is so sensitive, between first and tenth, the margin is tiny. In the end, everyone was on the edge.
“There were many ups and downs but in the end, we were stronger than expected. We must remember how difficult this session was, and we need to learn from it for the future.”
READ MORE – Charles Leclerc stunned as ‘horrible’ qualifying ends with F1 Hungarian GP pole
