The internal dispute at Ferrari between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc has gained a new chapter, and the team principal, Fred Vasseur, made a point of setting the limits for the two drivers. Vasseur stated that both need to respect the internal rules while fighting for positions on the track.
Read more F1: Mekies praises McLaren in Hungary, but says: «We’ll see how it performs on another track»
Hamilton managed to open a good lead over Leclerc at the start of the season, but the scenario changed since Silverstone. Leclerc won for the first time this year precisely at the British Grand Prix and went on to outperform his teammate in the following rounds, in Belgium and Hungary, reducing the gap between the two to 31 points.
With the dispute increasingly balanced, the drivers tend to share the track more frequently in the second half of the season. In China, they had already staged a wheel-to-wheel battle, maintaining respect but reaching the limit.
Vasseur told AutoHebdo that he expects proper behavior from both within the team: “They must respect the team, just as we respect them, and must behave properly,” he said. The Frenchman also highlighted that the internal rivalry contributes to Ferrari’s development, as both push each other for better results.
Read more F1: New Cadillac boss has already been called the «Polish Adrian Newey»
“I see them working together and pushing each other to deliver better performances. As a result, we are also progressing, because they give 110% every lap,” Vasseur continued. According to him, this competitiveness even appears during free practice, when the main concern of the two is to finish ahead of their teammate.
The Ferrari boss also compared the situation with that of other teams: “Part of the performance always comes from the comparison between the two drivers,” he added, citing McLaren and Mercedes as structures facing a similar dispute. About Red Bull Racing, Vasseur noted that this dynamic applies ‘to a lesser extent,’ referring to the fact that the team has its attention more focused on a single driver, Max Verstappen.
For Vasseur, the alternation between drivers is part of the internal competition in a Formula 1 team: “One week one is ahead, and the next week it’s exactly the opposite. That’s part of the game,” he concluded.
Read more F1: Hamilton receives strong support to pursue 8th title
