– Frederic Vasseur did not deny the tensions between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton after the Italian Grand Prix. The Ferrari team principal spoke with both drivers about the events on the track and some statements from the weekend after the race. At the same time, he defends against the portrayal that a bigger crisis has arisen at Ferrari as a result.
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“We had some good talks with Lewis and Charles,” says Vasseur to Motorsport.com. Both had clarified the open points with each other. At the same time, Vasseur reminded his drivers of fundamental principles of his team leadership.
For the Frenchman, this primarily includes that everyone takes responsibility for Ferrari. “My job is to protect the hundreds of people in the team and take responsibility. I also demanded that from the drivers: If we want to achieve results, we have to protect the team and each of us must take responsibility.”
Vasseur demands responsibility from Leclerc and Hamilton
Vasseur explicitly emphasizes that he does not want to forbid his drivers from expressing criticism. The problem, he sees, is rather how statements are received by the public.
“I do not demand from them that they should not be open or not be tough,” explains Vasseur. In conversations with the team, the drivers are often noticeably calmer than later with the media.
Hamilton himself told him after the weekend: “Fred, 80 percent of my message was positive and they took the 20 percent that was negative.” For Vasseur, however, that is part of the business. A critical afterthought can quickly become a headline, while the positive part of a statement recedes into the background.
That is exactly what happened after Monza. From an incident on the track, a discussion about driver management and even the stability of the Ferrari team arose within a short time.
“We are very quick to a crisis”
Leclerc and Hamilton came dangerously close on the track in the starting lap. Leclerc himself admitted afterwards to having been too aggressive. For Vasseur, an important point is thus clarified.
“Charles said after the discussion: ‘I was too aggressive.’ And for me, that is okay,” says Vasseur. He points out that other drivers also had problems in duels in Monza.
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His criticism is therefore directed against the dimension of the subsequent discussion. “In our case, we very quickly went from an incident on the track to talking about a crisis in driver management,” says Vasseur. Both must be viewed in the right perspective from his point of view.
Vasseur also rejects the claim that Ferrari has no clear rules for dueling its drivers. A rulebook cannot define every possible situation on the track down to the smallest detail. But the fundamental principles are known to the drivers.
Ferrari sticks to two number-one drivers
Vasseur also does not want to change the fundamental philosophy. Leclerc and Hamilton are to be treated equally. Only when one of the two no longer has a realistic chance in the title fight could Ferrari make a clear decision in favor of one driver.
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“Ferrari drivers can count on equal treatment,” says Vasseur. If one drops out of the title fight at some point, he will make a decision. “But until that moment, the treatment will be equal.”
As an example, Vasseur referred to last season and McLaren. There, Oscar Piastri had a lead of more than 30 points over Lando Norris when the team let Norris fall back to second place during the race in Monza.
Vasseur sees this as a reminder of how difficult it is to determine the right time for such a decision. “We will make a decision when we are closer to the end,” he says. “But today there is nothing to discuss about it at all.”
Vasseur defends Ferrari development
Vasseur also does not accept the technical criticism after Monza. The ADUO2, which Ferrari introduced in Monza, was described in some portrayals as a non-functioning upgrade. For Vasseur, this assessment is too short-sighted.
What matters is how strongly a deficit in engine performance affects lap times on different tracks. An improvement in the engine does not automatically mean that Ferrari gets closer to the competition on every track in direct comparison.
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“That does not mean that the ADUO does not work,” explains Vasseur. Even with an improvement of several horsepower, Ferrari could still be further from the reference value in Monza than before in Zandvoort.
One statement in particular bothers him. “When I read that the ADUO does not work, I find that disrespectful to the people who work on the engine because it does not correspond to reality,” says Vasseur.
Speculations about his future leave him cold
Vasseur also does not want to make his own position at Ferrari, which is repeatedly the subject of speculation, a topic. Rumors about his future are part of his job. “Someone says I will be fired this weekend or was fired last night,” says Vasseur.
Instead, he points to the sporting development and the possibility of winning more races. “Being under pressure is part of my job. That is not something I want to waste energy on.”
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He also rejects the question of whether he sometimes feels alone in his position. The communication channel to John Elkann is constantly open and constructive. In addition, representatives of Ferrari management have been present at almost every race weekend.
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