Formula 1 News: Vasseur continues to defend washed up Hamilton

(GMM) Lewis Hamilton has described his first year with Ferrari as “a nightmare” after another disastrous weekend in Brazil ended with retirement and yet more frustration.

The seven-time world champion endured a torrid few days at Interlagos – penalized again, struggling with balance, and ultimately parking his damaged SF-25 while running near the back. Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc also failed to finish, leaving the team empty-handed and slipping to fourth in the constructors’ standings.

Editor’s Note: When you are washed up your teammate out performs you and you make many errors as your reflexes diminish

#ColapintoenBrasil 🟢 CUIDADO LEWIS 🟢

El siete veces campeón del mundo Lewis Hamilton tocó de atrás a Franco Colapinto, y si bien no le pasó nada al auto de Franco, el de Lewis si se vió afectado. pic.twitter.com/a8mTWsplHP

— Malco Carbonari (@McarbonariF1) November 9, 2025

“Mate, I’m going to crash out here,” Hamilton complained on the radio during the race. “The car is crazy unstable.”

After climbing out of the car, he didn’t hide his despair.

“This is a nightmare – I’ve been living it for a while,” he said. “The flip between the dream of driving for this amazing team and then the nightmare of the results that we’ve had, the ups and downs. It’s challenging.”

Hamilton said the weekend had been “disastrous and disappointing for everyone,” adding: “I’m trying to keep my head above water and remain positive. I believe there is something extraordinary up ahead in my life and in my destiny.

“I still believe in this team and what we can achieve together. I just have to keep pushing and keep giving them everything I can.”

The Briton has yet to stand on the podium in 21 grands prix for Ferrari, and his growing frustration has included sharp recent criticism of the FIA’s stewarding. “Complete joke,” he was heard to say in Brazil on the radio, having earlier been summoned for ignoring yellow flags.

Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur, however, leapt to his driver’s defense.

A dejected Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal of the Scuderia Ferrari. He recommended Ferrari hire Hamilton and pay him a huge salary.

“The field is incredibly close together,” he said. “We’re talking about just a few tenths between first and sixteenth place. A small mistake or a bit of traffic is enough to drop out in Q1 or Q2. You really have to bring everything together perfectly.”

Hamilton, meanwhile, remains focused on helping Ferrari rescue its season.

“We’ve lost a lot of points,” he said. “I don’t know how far back we’ve fallen, but we’ll keep trying.”