Breaking News: Ferrari Hold Clear-the-Air Talks With Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc Aftter…Read More

Ferrari Hold Clear-the-Air Talks With Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc Aftter…

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has revealed that he held a lengthy discussion with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc following the controversial Dutch Grand Prix, as the team sought to resolve tensions surrounding its race strategy.

Both Ferrari drivers were unhappy with how the team handled the race at Zandvoort. Hamilton, in particular, believed Ferrari’s decisions had cost him an opportunity to finish on the podium. The seven-time world champion expressed his frustration openly during his post-race media sessions, later acknowledging on social media that his comments did not represent the “best version” of himself.

Vasseur has now explained what happened between the race and Hamilton’s public statement. According to the Ferrari boss, he held a one-hour conversation with both drivers on the Monday following the Grand Prix.

Speaking to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Vasseur said managing drivers of such high ability can be challenging because they are naturally focused on winning. However, he stressed that Ferrari encourages open communication.

Vasseur explained that during the meeting, Ferrari went through the race strategy in detail, explaining why certain decisions had been made. The discussion allowed the team and drivers to review what had happened before turning their attention toward the upcoming race at Monza.

He also suggested that addressing disagreements directly is better than allowing frustration to build internally and potentially create bigger problems later.

Despite the difficult weekend in Zandvoort, Vasseur believes the result was only a temporary setback for Ferrari. He also highlighted Hamilton’s progress since joining the team, describing his adjustment to Ferrari as a lengthy and sometimes difficult process.

Hamilton initially had to become familiar with Ferrari’s workforce, software, working methods and technical systems before gradually becoming more involved in discussions about how the team could improve. Vasseur believes that process is now beginning to produce positive results.

The tension at Zandvoort came after a particularly frustrating sequence of events for Hamilton. While running behind Leclerc on fresher tyres, Hamilton was delayed by his teammate and complained over team radio that Ferrari was losing valuable time.

When Leclerc eventually made his pit stop, Hamilton remained on track. His frustration became clear when he sarcastically criticised the team over the radio for what he believed was unnecessary time loss.

Ferrari then kept Hamilton out for an extended period while he was leading the race, creating uncertainty among rival teams about whether the Scuderia intended to keep him on the same strategy until the finish.

The decision eventually backfired when Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli, despite their own tyre difficulties, were able to overtake Hamilton.

Hamilton subsequently questioned Ferrari’s strategy over the radio, asking whether the team was effectively using him as an experiment and demanding to know how much longer he would remain on track.

A Virtual Safety Car eventually gave Ferrari an opportunity to bring Hamilton into the pits for a set of soft tyres. He then closed the gap to George Russell in the closing stages, but could not complete the overtake. At the same time, he had to defend fourth place from Leclerc, who was also closing in during the final laps.

The result left Hamilton disappointed, but Vasseur’s comments suggest that Ferrari has addressed the disagreement internally and is now focused on moving forward together at Monza.