Internal tensions within the Ferrari camp have finally reached a resolution. Following the aggressive opening-lap incident at the Mexico City Grand Prix that cost the team a potential one-two finish, Team Principal Frederic Vasseur has confirmed that a crunch meeting was held with both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc ahead of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend.
The meeting was aimed at cooling the friction that peaked in Mexico, where Hamilton openly expressed his frustration over Leclerc's maneuvers, which he deemed overly risky. Vasseur emphasized that the message to both drivers was clear: the team's interests must come before individual ambitions.
"It went well. It was good to discuss, good to clarify my position and their position," Vasseur told the media. "Now we turn the page, and we are focused on the next race. The guidelines are still the same: they need to respect each other. They are two competitors with a fighting spirit for sure, but they need to have respect for the other one. But mainly and firstly, they need to respect the brand, the team, and the people working at home and on track."
Vasseur acknowledged that this dynamic is a consequence of the team's choice to field two equally competitive drivers. "We have two experienced guys, two competitive guys. The downside of the system is that we have two competitive guys starting each weekend next to each other, which creates an accumulation of frustration. But if we are P2 today in the standings, it is also because we have two guys who are very, very close, and we have to manage it," he added.
When asked about the team's failure to secure the maximum result in Mexico, Vasseur admitted that Ferrari failed collectively. "It is clear that we failed collectively because we were one-two, and we didn't win the race in the end. The conclusion of the meeting yesterday evening was clear: Ferrari comes first. It comes first for the brand, for the employees, and for the Tifosi," he concluded.
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