Ferrari says engineer swaps aren't game‑changing after Hamilton calls them 'detrimental'

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur dismissed Lewis Hamilton’s claim that swapping race engineers early in the season is ‘detrimental’ to his performance. He said the changes are routine, the partnership with the seven‑time champion is strong, and the focus should stay on the 1,500‑person operation that builds the car.

Why it matters:

• Engineer swaps can unsettle a driver’s rhythm, but in a 1,500‑person operation they’re a routine adjustment, not a decisive factor.

The details:

• Hamilton told GPblog after Bahrain’s test that he expects to work with several engineers before Melbourne, calling the rotating lineup ‘detrimental’ to his rhythm.
• Vasseur said the collaboration with Hamilton is ‘very good’, describing the driver as confident and open, and stressed that a pit‑wall engineer leads a sizeable team, making any single change a marginal factor.

What's next:

Ferrari will keep fine‑tuning the car as the Bahrain Grand Prix approaches, integrating Hamilton’s feedback across its engineering staff. Vasseur’s urging to move beyond the engineer‑swap story suggests any further changes will be treated as routine, keeping the focus on performance gains.