Ferrari boss blasts ‘f****** bull***’ Lewis Hamilton claim as F1 star predicts ‘painful’ first year with team

FERRARI boss Fred Vasseur blasted the “f***ing bull****” claims that Lewis Hamilton’s form has fallen off a cliff.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton had another weekend to forget at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix after his slow start to the season continued with a seventh-place finish.

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Lewis Hamilton had another weekend to forgot in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix[/caption]

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Hamilton finished 30 seconds behind team-mate Charles Leclerc[/caption]

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Hamilton sits seventh in the drivers’ championship[/caption]

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ButFerrari team principal Fred Vasseur defended Hamilton’s form in a X-rated interview[/caption]

The Brit, 40, described his performance in Jeddah as “horrible” and predicted a “painful” first year with Ferrari — even just five races in.

He finished a massive 30 seconds behind team-mate Charles Leclerc, who provided a glimmer of hope for the Italian team with their first podium of the season.

Hamilton won last month’s sprint race in China but has since been out-qualified by Leclerc in Japan, Bahrain and Saudi.

Asked why Hamilton’s form has dropped dramatically in the last month, Vasseur said: “Dramatically?! We did five races so far.

“I know you want a big headline saying Fred said this but this is f***ing bull****.

“We are in a competition. You have ups and downs. When we are up, we are not world champions and when we are down, we are not nowhere.”

Hamilton is desperately looking for answers on how to turn things around in his first year since joining from Mercedes.

He sits seventh in the drivers’ championship, with his best result of the season fifth place in Bahrain just over a week ago.

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To make matters worse, Leclerc drove exceptionally in Jeddah, looking at ease in the car and overtaking Hamilton’s former team-mate George Russell to claim third.

Vasseur added on Hamilton: “I will be 2,000 per cent behind him and  give him support here. We’ll start to find solutions.

“I am not worried. Look at what he did in China or  in the race in Bahrain last week or even in the first part of the session this weekend, the potential is there.”

The Frenchman added: “For sure he is down because when you finish in seventh and your team-mate is on the podium.

“I take it as a positive  Lewis is down because if he was happy with this, it wouldn’t be normal.

“He’s a racer and a competitor. He wants to get the best from what he has and he is disappointed.

“Now we have to work together  and it will be the only way to move forward.”

Oscar Piastri claimed consecutive Grand Prix wins, while Max Verstappen finished second, after being handed a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

Both Russell and Hamilton’s replacement at Mercedes Kimi Antonelli are above the legendary Brit in the standings.