Vasser: Lewis and I underestimated the difficulty of change.

      Before the summer break Ferrari officially extended the contract of team principal Frédéric Vasseur. The French specialist is expected to lead the Scuderia to its first drivers' title since 2007 and its first constructors' championship since 2008. Vasseur is confident the goal will be achieved, but patience is required.

      Frédéric Vasseur: "I probably have the most exciting job in the paddock. If you win in Formula 1, it's simply incredible, but if you win with Ferrari, it's something incredibly delightful.

      I am convinced that it will take time for us to achieve victories. Ferrari needs time, as does any other team. Remember Formula 1 history: when Christian Horner took over Red Bull or Jean Todt took over Ferrari, it took them time to achieve success; they did not win straight away.

      Building a team takes several years, because you need to hire the right people and then get them to work together. We all in Formula 1 want to be very agile, but the reality is that we have a lot of inertia.

      The task in front of the team is crystal clear. Everyone involved in this project is moving in the same direction. When you have a goal and everyone is convinced we can achieve it, that's probably the most pleasant feeling. We will do everything to achieve it.

      It's enough that we all want to win the championship. We have made a pretty good step forward in all areas, but now the team needs a bit more time to bring all the elements together, and preparing for 2026 is a good opportunity for that."

      Assessing Lewis Hamilton's performances in the first half of the season, Vasseur admitted that the team and the driver did not fully appreciate how difficult the process of the seven-time world champion's adaptation to Maranello would be.

      "I think we all underestimated the difficulty of the task Lewis faced at the start of the season," Vasseur continued. "He spent almost 10 years at McLaren and then 10 years at Mercedes. In other words, almost 20 years in the same environment.

      At Ferrari Lewis was met with colossal changes — in terms of culture, the people around him, the software, the car; in every aspect these were significant changes. Perhaps Lewis and we underestimated all of that.

      But he's coping well. Of course, the season hasn't been easy, because it's much easier for a driver to manage the car when it's flying around the track, and we had some problems at the start of the year, but the response has been positive and very good.

      In a season like this, when a lot is expected of you and you experience difficulties at the start, it's very easy to give up, but he never gave up. He has always pushed the team, pushed himself, and so working with Lewis is very fruitful."