Wasser: I didn't doubt and I don't doubt Lewis' speed.

      Ferrari CEO Frederic Wasser said he had no doubts about the athletic form of Lewis Hamilton's rookie team. According to the French expert, all the assumptions that Lewis is no longer as fast as in his prime have nothing to do with reality.

      "I think he showed what he's capable of in Abu Dhabi by starting at the end of the peloton and finishing fourth, overtaking George Russell on the last lap," Frederic Wasser told reporters in Maranello. – Lewis has speed, and I had no doubt about it, and I have no doubt about it.

      Lewis is 20 years older now than when we worked together. Everything is changing and evolving. There is no doubt that he is more mature and more experienced now. Lewis is a perfect fit for the team. This is the kind of rider I was looking for for the team, for myself and for Charles. I think we have the perfect combination."

      Frederic Vasseur expects Charles Leclair and Lewis Hamilton to learn from each other, which will benefit the team: "The drivers are constantly striving for excellence. And a good way to get better is to learn from your teammate, because that's the closest rider you can watch. You can study his telemetry in every detail, and if you're smart, you'll take a step forward thanks to your partner's potential.

      I am absolutely sure that I am right in my decision to invite Lewis. We were convinced of this during the past tests and at today's car run-in. I am not afraid of such changes in the team, because we need such an evolution."

      Wasser added that Lewis had already given the team useful feedback on the new SF-25: "All drivers contribute to the development of the car, to its evolution, and this is true for every driver. Lewis is only at the first stage of our collaboration, but his feedback is already important. Comments about the car help the team to progress and do their job better.

      And even if we are talking about some small things now, we must not forget that last year we lost to McLaren by only 14 points. That's less than one point per race. On average, this is three hundredths of a second. This difference shows how important it is to pay attention to details.

      It's not about changing the car completely. If we can improve it a bit in one or two areas, then this will allow us to make a huge step forward. And at this moment, Lewis comes to us with his experience, which will help the team improve in all areas.

      Of course, we will make a quick comparison between the two engines, the two chassis and the way we work on the track. We, as a team, should not be shy about this, because we need to understand how we can improve. This is my job and that of our technical specialists."

      When Frederic Wasser was asked which team he considered the favorite of the season, he replied: "Last season turned out to be a good one for the whole Formula 1, because at the beginning of the year Red Bull had the advantage, then it passed to us, then to McLaren, then to Mercedes and returned to us. And the balance of power has been changing throughout the year.

      This means that it is very difficult to predict who will be the leader in the new season, and whether there will be one leader at all. Last year we fought to the last stage with McLaren, and in 2025 we must build on the successes of 2024."

      In 2026, Formula 1 will switch to new regulations, and Frederic Wasser made it clear that the team will switch to the car design for the 2026 season quite early: "If we have to refine the current car, we will do it in the first few races. After that, I think everyone will shift their focus to 2026. I don't want to say that we will stop refining the current car, but we will pay more attention to the 2026 car.

      This means that the first races and the first updates that we will put on the SF-25 will be critical for this season. We will try to prepare new items at an early stage."