Ferrari boss, Fred Vasseur admits that the Italian team underestimated the challenge that the seven-time world champion faced in joining the Maranello outfit.

Nurtured during his junior career by Ron Dennis and McLaren, Hamilton made his debut with the Woking team in 2007 winning his first title a year later. In 2013 he made the shock move to Mercedes, a shock because it was widely assumed he was a McLaren man for life and also because the German team was clearly struggling.

However, the 2014 rules overhaul saw the Silver Arrows come out on top, with Hamilton adding a further six titles to his tally.

Once again, Hamilton shocked the world, when at the start of 2024 he revealed that he would be joining Ferrari in 2025. Once again, a shock because it was assumed the Briton would see out his career with the team with which he had achieved so much and because it was widely felt that the 2026 rules overhaul would once again suit the Gertman manufacturer.

While in many ways the move to Maranello was an F1 fairytale, the reality is that much of it has been a nightmare, for not only has the Briton failed to achieve anything like the results expected, he has not yet gelled with the team and has now taken to openly criticising himself.

Vasseur, who worked with Hamilton on his way to GP2 success, believes the task facing Hamilton and Ferrari was underestimated.

"I think perhaps that we underestimate the challenge for Lewis at the beginning of the season," he tells the official F1 website. "He spent almost ten years with McLaren and then ten years with Mercedes... that's almost 20 years with Mercedes in the same environment.

"It was a huge change for Lewis in terms of culture, in terms of people around him, in terms of software, in terms of car, in terms of every single topic was a big change, perhaps that we underestimate this, Lewis and myself.

"But I'm very, very pleased because the last four or five races he was back into the pace," says the Frenchman, though this contradicts Hamilton's own view of the situation.

Referring to his own situation, which only a few weeks ago, according to much of the Italian media, was extremely perilous, Vasseur insists that the extension to his contract will help stabilise the team.

"My job is probably the most exciting position in the paddock," he admits. "If you're able to win in F1, it is mega, but to win with Ferrari is something very exciting.

"It's a good step into the process. We had a couple of discussions and there were some rumours in the press the last couple of weeks. It's not easy for the stability of the team and for the mood of the team but now this is behind us. It's important. It's a good step.

"We have to be ready for the last part of the season. We are fighting with Mercedes and Red Bull for P2 and we want to win some races until the end. The 2026 project is a huge challenge that we have to be all fully aligned and all together to manage it.

"I'm really convinced that it's taking time," he insists. "It's taking time at Ferrari, but everywhere in general, if you have a look at the good story of F1 that when Christian joined Red Bull or when Jean joined Ferrari, before all these good success stories it took time before the first win.

"You need a couple of years to build up a team, to recruit people that you want to have with you, and then it takes also time to work together. We want to be very agile in F1, but the reality is that we have a lot of inertia."

Of course, those looking for a fairytale may believe in the possibility of Hamilton repeating what happened in 2013, a year in the doldrums before the rules overhaul sees his team come good.