Ferrari’s new team boss, Frederic Vasseur, has brought a lot of excitement and buzz around the Maranello team. Fans will be eager to watch the Frenchman reunited with Charles Leclerc, who he groomed at Sauber (Now Alpha Romeo). However, other than Leclerc, Vasseur is also responsible for building the career of one of the greatest-ever drivers to race in F1. Yep, you guessed it right. It’s none other than Lewis Hamilton.

As per ScuderiaFans.com, the Frenchman convinced McLaren to let Hamilton race for his team, ART, in 2005. Lewis had a disastrous 2004 season and his relationship with Martin Whitmarsh and Ron Dennis was on the fringes. He was even excluded from the McLaren Young Driver Programme for a while. But Ferrari’s new boss’ involvement brought down the tensions between him and McLaren.

Lewis won 15 races that season out of a possible 20 under the guidance of Vasseur, who was his team principal. He subsequently replaced Nico Rosberg in 2006 for an F2 drive. He won the F2 championship as well, which promoted the McLaren F1 team to sign him in 2007 and paired him alongside the then-reigning world champion, Fernando Alonso.

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Not only Lewis, but Frederick has overseen the careers of 20 drivers in his lengthy experience in the sport. Some of the notable mentions are the latest Haas recruit, Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, Rosberg, etc.

Former Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg reveals the team’s atmosphere for the infamous 2016 season with Lewis Hamilton

Nico Rosberg and Lewis have known each other since childhood. In fact, they both followed an identical route to F1, starting their junior career under Frederick Vasseur and racing in the same karting tournaments. In fact, the pair were teammates in karting in 2000, long before their Mercedes days.

The pair united again with the Brackley-based team in 2013. However, their iconic rivalry took a toll on their long-withstanding friendship. Hamilton won the championship twice, but it was Nico Rosberg’s title win in 2016 that reportedly severed the ties between the childhood friends.

Moreover, the German opened up about the atmosphere inside the Mercedes camp due to their rivalry. He told La Gazzetta Dello Sport, “The whole team had to maintain a neutral attitude between Lewis and I. There was a strange atmosphere within the team because it was clear that there was rivalry within our own garage.” [Translated from Google]

The German further added, “As a result, there was a spirit within the team without balance – and that made it difficult to get closer together. I was in isolation at the most important point of my career.”

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This year, Hamilton was beaten by his teammate, George Russell, for the first time since Rosberg’s win in 2016. However, the Briton has reassured that the relationship between him and George remains good. Can the British duo lead Mercedes back to the top again?