Lewis Hamilton’s demand to Ferrari over Charles Leclerc saga rejected as crisis meeting details emerge
As Ferrari F1 boss Frederic Vasseur attempts to calm the storm surrounding his drivers, reports of an internal power struggle at have emerged from Italy.
Reports from Italy have emerged that Lewis Hamilton’s continued fiery comments in the press have a larger, and so far unsuccessful, aim of altering the hierarchy in Ferrari to make himself team leader.
With the F1 field set to take on Brazil’s Interlagos at the Sao Paulo GP this weekend, it adds another fascinating layer to the story.
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Following their acrimonious scrap on-track in Mexico, Lewis Hamilton has had harsh words for his teammate Charles Leclerc, both after that race and doubled down again in Brazil.
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“Of course there’s sometimes you say things and maybe you might regret it afterwards. I don’t,” he said.
“I’m never going to apologise for being authentic and real and I’m not going to be silenced. I have not been asked to not say anything and that’s just the way it is.”
Hamilton also damned Leclerc with his faint praise of his achievements at Ferrari - “Eight years - nine wins in the team”, some inferring these comments have been designed to establish himself as the undisputed No. 1 at the Scuderia.
The team currently recognises both Hamilton and Leclerc as equal No1 drivers, but it’s thought the Brit wants this changed. Now a report from Autoracer in Italy has added weight to the argument, but also states he hasn't made much progress in his attempts for now.
“There's no change in the hierarchy, a choice that fits with an existing philosophy,” it says. “Both Leclerc and Hamilton are competing ‘only’ for a potential second place in the Drivers' Championship, and there's no pre-emptive disparity in treatment.
“This approach, however, seems to be less popular with the British seven-time world champion, who believes that the lead he's maintained over Leclerc in the standings since the start of the season could justify a higher priority in the team's decisions.
“Hamilton would like his performance so far to be recognised within the internal hierarchy, while Ferrari continues to treat its two drivers on the same level.
“Vasseur has attempted to bring the competition back within these confines, without introducing new hierarchies or changing the rules of engagement.
“The problem, after all, doesn't seem to be so much the competition between the two drivers, but what it is producing off the track.”
Ferrari boss's attempts to bring peace between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc
With Hamilton’s requests apparently rebuffed from within Ferrari, he’ll have to carry on stating his case on-track, while leaving Vassuer to try and calm things.
"The guidelines is still the same,” he said in Brazil. “They accumulated perhaps a bit of frustration because they are starting each weekend side by side, and you have a kind of accumulation of fact.
"But at the end of the day, the guideline is always the same - it's that they need to respect each other.
"They are two competitors with the fighting spirit for sure, but they need to have a respect for the other one.
"But mainly and firstly, they need to respect the brand, the team, the people working at home, the people working at the on track.
"I think we are putting a lot of effort into this, and the message was clear and will stay clear."
However, if Ferrari is fighting for championships next year, the same issue between his drivers could rear its head again.
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Topics: Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Formula 1
James Elson
