Hamilton tells Vasseur critics to 'point fingers somewhere else' as Ferrari close ranks

Ferrari close ranks as Hamilton and Leclerc back under-fire Vasseur

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have firmly rejected speculation surrounding Fred Vasseur's future as Team Principal of Ferrari, with the seven-time world champion telling outside critics to "point fingers somewhere else" instead of targeting the Frenchman's leadership.

Ferrari's lack of podiums over the last five rounds fuelled speculation that Vasseur's position was at risk, stoked further by comments from former Red Bull boss Christian Horner, who labelled the Scuderia his "dream" destination. To address the situation, the team assembled selected media and shared their "full confidence" in Vasseur, stating: "Ferrari has made its choices already. At this time, it's really important that the team remains united and cohesive, and we focus all the energy on the work ahead."

Ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Hamilton was questioned on how he felt about the statement. "I think it's good that they did it," he said. "In terms of how it unifies the team, I think we already were unified. Honestly, I think outside sources seem to be so negative towards us as a team and trying to break our spirit, but they're not succeeding.

"People can continue with the negative narrative but inside, everyone is working really hard. Fred is the guy to lead us, he's doing a fantastic job. If you look at the history, how many people they've swapped out in that role and I feel like it's in a better place than it's been before, but ultimately, it's not a one man situation.

"It's lots and lots of people coming together and if you want to point fingers, point them somewhere else. There's people above that are also part of it as well. It's a lot of people. I feel like we should take things away from this message, Fred's in his position, he's not going anywhere and I'm here to stay with him and I still believe fully in where we're going."

Hamilton hints at change above Vasseur

While backing Vasseur unequivocally, Hamilton suggested he would like to see other structural changes within the Maranello operation. "Fred is a fantastic leader. He really is the guy to take this team in the right direction," he added. "However, there is a structure that's there for some time. Whether or not that needs looking at moving forwards, there are also people above Fred, and it's not about one person."

Asked about the comparison to his former team Mercedes, where Toto Wolff is team principal, chief executive and co-owner, Hamilton said: "There are changes that I would make but I'm not going to talk about what those are. Toto's in a different position to Fred. The structures are a lot different. That's all I can say on it really."

At Ferrari, Vasseur is team principal and general manager of the F1 team and ultimately reports in to the heads of the whole company, which includes its road-car division, chief executive Benedetto Vigna and executive chairman John Elkann. The 58-year-old former Renault and Sauber chief is in his fourth season in charge, having replaced Mattia Binotto in 2023. Vasseur first worked with Hamilton in what is now F3 and F2 in 2005-2006 before reuniting when the Briton joined from Mercedes in a blockbuster transfer.

'We're second despite a power deficit'

Although factors like a clash with Leclerc in Monza and unfortunate brake issues in Madrid have contributed to results, Hamilton explained that their consistent hard work under Vasseur should be highlighted more than criticism. "On a race weekend, other teams make mistakes, no one really says much about those but we make the same mistake and it's ten times worse for Ferrari, for whatever reason, and that's just how it is," he told media at the Sepang International Circuit.

"We're second in the Constructors' Championship – huge improvement from last year already – and that's with a deficit on power of an average four tenths every single weekend. Sometimes it's six tenths, and we've still been delivering really decent performances, so that highlights just how great a job people at the factory have done.

"The deficit we have is simply just on engine, and that's something we don't shy away from. We know that. Every weekend we carry a 0.4s deficit, if not sometimes 0.6s, just in straight-line power, and we're aware of it, and that's something we need to try to work on. They're working extremely hard to try and fix that for next year."

After a frustrating first campaign with Ferrari, Hamilton has worked to improve his situation and is currently 20 points ahead of Leclerc in the standings. He credited part of the transformation to Vasseur's co-operation. "I'm happy with my treatment," he said. "Fred has been fantastic working with me and I think our relationship as a whole, even with the bosses, is in a much better place than it ever was. Of course, people making comments have absolutely no clue what they're talking about ultimately, because they're not inside the team."

Leclerc dismisses 'crazy rumours'

Leclerc, who has driven under Vasseur since the Frenchman took over in 2023, stated that he feels "exactly the same" as his team mate and dismissed the "crazy rumours". "I think it's very clear the relationship I have with Fred but it goes a lot further than that. It's not only about a relationship but it's also about his capabilities and I think he's exceptional at what he does and I fully trust in Fred," he said.

"Inside the team it's always been extremely clear that Fred has always had the support but for whatever reason, every three or four years there are those crazy rumours around the team. I've been with the team for quite a few years so I'm unfortunately getting used to these kinds of events. But one thing is sure – Fred has got all our support and we are very proud of having him with us inside the team."