A very solid bond
When Frederic Vasseur was appointed Ferrari team principal, the French manager's CV could not ignore the numerous successes obtained in the minor categories, with the creation of the ASM and ART teams. There is also one of the drivers who raced – and won – with him Lewis Hamiltonwho will return to Vasseur's 'employees' in 2025 as a Ferrari driver as made official by the Maranello Scuderia, which will welcome the seven-time world champion with a multi-year contract.
Lewis Hamilton was a driver for Frederic Vasseur in 2005 – at 20 years old – when with ASM he has won the championship Formula 3 Euro Serieswith the incredible haul of 15 successes, 13 poles and 17 podiums out of the 20 races scheduled.
Natural then the advancement in GP2 for the 2006 – with the ART, always led by Vasseur. Result: another title. 5 victories, 1 pole and 14 podiums out of 21 world championship events as a rookie.
They were two crucial years for the career of Lewis Hamilton, to whom the doors of McLaren Mercedes were opened wide in F1 in 2007.
A relationship that has never been interrupted
“I have known Fred since 2005. We've always had a really great relationship and we talk oftenespecially since he also arrived in F1“, Hamilton recounted no later than last December, adding: “We see each other in the paddock and we have traveled together, also with Toto (Wolff, ed.)”.
A few days later, in the traditional end-of-year meeting with journalists, Frederic Vasseur denied Hamilton's possible arrival at Maranello: “I've talked to him every week for the last twenty years. We are always in contact. This applies to half the grid, because at some point in the past they raced with me. I think I spoke in Baku with Lewis and this chat ended up everywhere. If Hamilton had signed a contract for every time he spoke to me, he would have cost me a fortune.”
The Briton will find Charles Leclerc at his side, who in 2020 – faced with a similar hypothesis, explained: “I would certainly welcome him, we are in F1 and we want to fight against the best. You can only learn from these kinds of champions”.
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