Seven-time world champion Hamilton has found his maiden season with Ferrari a frustrating experience. His sprint win from pole position in China has been the only major high point since his blockbuster move from rivals Mercedes.

Before the summer break, he qualified and finished 12th at the Hungarian Grand Prix, calling himself “useless” after failing to make Q3. In Belgium the race before, he was a shock elimination in the first part of qualifying, conceding the result was “incredible painful”.

Before the grid penalty for Monza was issued, Vasseur said Hamilton’s latest setback in the Netherlands had not knocked the 40-year-old’s confidence in the car, or himself.

“Overall, the reaction from Lewis was good; it was a good recovery after two tough races before the break. But for sure, this was not what we expected,” Vasseur said of the double retirement.

“This has been a lot more positive than the last four or five races. It was much better than what he did in the last race in Budapest. I could see the confidence was back and it was good preparation [for Monza].”

Hamilton, who is sixth in the drivers’ championship, echoed Vasseur’s assessment that there are good aspects of the weekend the team can build on.

“It was a bit twitchy, the car, but I think we made real progress and my pace was looking pretty decent,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Despite a bruising day all round, Vasseur said the mood was not sombre. “We can take a lot of positives from the weekend,” he said.