Lewis Hamilton has passionately defended Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari's team principal, while advocating for broader structural changes within the team. This statement comes following Ferrari's media briefing, where they expressed full confidence in Vasseur amid increasing scrutiny over his leadership, especially after a dismal streak of five races without a podium finish.

Ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Hamilton welcomed Ferrari's public support for Vasseur, stating, "I think it's good that they did it. In terms of how it unifies the team, I think we were already unified."

Hamilton emphasized that external negativity aimed at Ferrari has not affected their spirit, asserting:

People can continue with the negative narrative, but inside everyone is working really hard. Fred is the guy to lead us. He's doing a fantastic job.

Vasseur, who replaced Mattia Binotto in 2023, has been in charge for four seasons. Hamilton highlighted their positive working relationship, saying, "Fred has been fantastic working with me... our relationship is in a much better place than it ever was."

However, Hamilton acknowledged that there are underlying issues within the team structure that need addressing. He noted that making changes takes time and that Vasseur has already implemented some adjustments based on his feedback.

There is a structure that's been there for some time. Whether or not that needs looking at moving forward, there are also people above Fred, and it's not about one person,

He pointed out that Ferrari's current performance deficit, particularly in engine power, is a significant challenge, indicating a 0.4 to 0.6 seconds gap in straight-line speed that the team is actively working to improve for next season.

In comparing Ferrari's structure to his former team, Mercedes, Hamilton remarked, "There are changes that I would make but I'm not going to talk about what those are. Toto's in a different position to Fred. The structures are a lot different."

As the team prepares for the upcoming race, Hamilton's support for Vasseur reinforces the need for unity while also recognizing the necessity for comprehensive changes within Ferrari.