Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has hit back at criticism of Lewis Hamilton, making a drastic plea to the media regarding the performances of his Formula 1 driver.

Hamilton’s first season with the Scuderia has been rather lacklustre, with the SF-25 completely absent from the championship fight and the 40-year-old forced to find joy in a fourth-place finish in Imola last weekend – his best grand prix result of the season.

The Brit’s relationship with race engineer Ricciardo Adami has also been placed under the microscope, and his team radio messages from the Miami GP went viral after Hamilton’s sarcastic suggestion his new ally ‘take a tea break’ during the race.

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Despite Vasseur’s protest, it is clear Ferrari have a large pace deficit to rival teams such as Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren, particularly in qualifying where the team were confronted with a Q2 exit for both Hamilton and Leclerc last weekend.

Ferrari will introduce a significant upgrade to the car in Spain next weekend, with Vasseur previously naming the race in Barcelona as a potential turning point for the championship.

From the Spanish GP onwards, the FIA will introduce their new technical directive which is focused on clamping down on the use of flexible wings with stricter tests imposed on the front wing.