Ferrari Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur has shed light on a significant challenge Lewis Hamilton faced, which impacted his outing during the British Grand Prix. The 40-year-old finished his home race in fourth place in what was largely a chaotic event.
Hamilton, who was aiming to thrill the crowd with the possibility of clinching another race victory at the Silverstone Circuit — a track where he has historically been dominant — largely fell away from the leading pack in the early stages of the race and was subsequently forced into what became a recovery drive.
While the seven-time world champion would go on to finish the Grand Prix in fourth place, Team Principal Vasseur admitted that the Italian outfit lost the British driver’s GPS — a setback which impacted his outing on the afternoon.
Sharing his thoughts with the media, the 57-year-old motorsport executive stated:
“Very, very chaotic [race]. We lost the GPS of Lewis [Hamilton] for half of the race. We didn’t know where Lewis was; it was difficult to manage…”
The GPS loss appeared to have a telling effect on Lewis Hamilton, as he was forced into a largely reactive strategy rather than a more proactive approach, with full communication and positional awareness. Nevertheless, the seven-time world champion battled through this adversity to secure a fourth-place finish, matching his best Grand Prix result with the Scuderia Ferrari team in front of his home crowd.
How Lewis Hamilton reacted after the British GP race
Lewis Hamilton also reacted following the conclusion of the British Grand Prix event. The 40-year-old, who was racing in front of his home crowd, missed out on a podium finish.
Hamilton, during his interaction with the media, however, opted to focus on the positives from his outing rather than missing out on the podium. The British driver also touched on his adaptation to the Scuderia Ferrari car. He said:
“Not the result we were hoping for today, but we’re continuing to grow as a team and I’m also getting more in tune with the car. Third place felt within reach at times, but credit to Nico on his first podium — he drove a strong race.
“Silverstone always puts on a great show and the changing weather definitely made things interesting. Big thanks to the amazing crowd for all the support this weekend. It is always great to be home.”
While Lewis Hamilton might have missed out on victory at Silverstone, the next stop on the F1 calendar — the Belgian Grand Prix — is another circuit he has fond memories of. Precisely, the 2024 edition of the Spa-Francorchamps race marked Hamilton’s last race victory in Formula 1 so far. He will now aim for a repeat of such a performance as he continues his search for a maiden race win with Scuderia Ferrari.