– Lewis Hamilton has denied claims by Italian media that he pressured Ferrari to replace several key staff members at the track. The Corriere della Sera did not name any specific individuals in a report whom the Ferrari driver allegedly wanted to replace.
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However, it was said that Hamilton expressed his frustration about the execution of individual races. At the Dutch Grand Prix in August, for example, Hamilton expressed over the radio his frustration that Ferrari had kept him waiting too long behind teammate Charles Leclerc while he was chasing a podium finish.
Later in Monza, Hamilton was unhappy that Leclerc collided with him in the first lap and subsequently said it was up to team principal Fred Vasseur to defuse the situation.
The Corriere della Sera even claimed that Hamilton’s relationship with Vasseur, with whom he won the GP2 title in 2006, was strained. However, all of this has since been denied by the Briton.
Hamilton writes on social media: “I have seen some of the stories that have been published and want to make this clear. I have never demanded that anyone on my team be replaced. Everyone I work with works hard every day, and it is their dedication that drives us forward.”
Photo gallery: Lewis Hamilton’s teammates
“I always try to empower people and get them to be the best version of themselves – or at least see the best in themselves. Maybe I don’t always succeed, but that is my intention and what I am here for. We all work together, and that will remain the case,” said Hamilton.
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However, it would not have been the first time this year that Hamilton made changes to his team. Before the 2026 season, he made adjustments to recover from a disappointing 2025 season.
Last year he experienced a weak debut season at Ferrari, did not achieve a podium finish, and ended the championship in sixth place – 86 points behind fifth-placed Leclerc.
Therefore, for 2026 Hamilton chose a different race engineer: Carlo Santi and Cedric Michel-Grosjean replaced Riccardo Adami. He also made further changes that have led to a significantly improved 2026 season.
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At the race in Barcelona in June, he perfectly executed a three-stop strategy and celebrated his first Grand Prix win for Ferrari. After 14 World Championship races, he is currently in third place overall, but 101 points behind the dominant Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.
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