Lewis Hamilton decided to speak out about the rumors of changes within his team at Ferrari. On Thursday (17), the Briton denied having requested the replacement of any professional working alongside him and made it clear that he intends to continue relying on the current members of his operation.
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The speculation gained strength after a publication by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, which stated that Hamilton was pressuring Frederic Vasseur for changes in part of Ferrari’s operational and strategic structure. According to the report, the situation was related to some frictions recorded throughout the European season.
The newspaper also pointed to an alleged distancing between Hamilton and Frederic Vasseur, the team principal. After the Monza GP, the driver reportedly requested stricter written rules for coexistence with Charles Leclerc, but the request was rejected by the manager.
Hamilton was straightforward in denying that he requested personnel changes. In an Instagram post, the driver decided to respond to the circulating information: “I saw some of the stories that came out, and I want to clarify this here,” he wrote. “I never asked for anyone on my team to be replaced. Everyone I work with puts in effort every day, and their dedication is what drives us forward.”
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“I always try to empower or uplift people to be the best version of themselves, or at least to see the best in themselves. It may be that I don’t always achieve this, but it is my intention and it is what I am here for. We all work together, and that will continue.”
Ferrari, in fact, has undergone some changes in its engineering structure since the beginning of the year. Riccardo Adami, a long-time race engineer, was transferred to the Driver Academy. Luca Diella, coming from Mercedes, and Cedric Grosjean, ex-McLaren, also became part of Hamilton’s team. During the summer, Ferrari also hired external chassis specialists to strengthen the technical department led by Loïc Serra.
Vasseur had already dismissed the existence of an internal crisis and explained that drivers’ requests for improvements are part of the routine of a Formula 1 team.
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