Lewis Hamilton has found himself in the spotlight again, not for his on-track exploits but for his comments on Ferrari's leadership. In a brief interview with Sky Sports F1 after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion gave a one-word answer when asked if he still believes Fred Vasseur is the right man to lead the team: "Yes." That single word has sparked fresh speculation about Vasseur's position.
Pressure on Vasseur had already been building after former Red Bull principal Christian Horner admitted that joining Ferrari would be "the dream". Ferrari responded with an unusual media call, where chief communication officer Maria Conti delivered a message said to be on behalf of chairman John Elkann and CEO Benedetto Vigna, publicly backing Vasseur.
However, Hamilton's comments about his closeness to Elkann have been seen as further complicating the situation. Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft suggested that Hamilton's remarks might inadvertently undermine Vasseur's authority. "Who's in charge at Ferrari? That's the question that needs to be asked and answered before any decisions for the future are made," Croft said on the Sky Sports F1 Show podcast.
Croft added, "I'm not criticising Lewis here, but when he says 'I've got a great relationship with John Elkann, we're very close', is that actually undermining Fred just a little bit? If John Elkann takes such a hands-on role, how do you expect your team principal to exert authority?" This highlights the power dynamics within the team that could affect on-track performance.
According to Croft, replacing Vasseur with Horner is not an instant fix. "The reason it worked with Christian at Red Bull was because he was the CEO as well as team principal. He was given autonomy to create and run that team," he explained. "Until you do that at Ferrari, you are just going to be repeating the same mistakes, going round and round and not optimising everything you've got."
Croft's critique points to a deeper structural issue at Ferrari. The Italian team is often seen as having a complex hierarchy where major decisions are not entirely in the hands of the team principal. This contrasts with Red Bull's approach, which gave Horner full freedom to shape the team according to his vision.
For Hamilton, his comment may have been intended as support for Vasseur, but the effect could be larger. The public and media continue to scrutinise every move at Ferrari, especially ahead of next season, which will be his first with the Italian team. Leadership stability is key to providing Hamilton with a competitive car.
So far, Ferrari has not issued any additional official statement regarding the speculation. However, their public backing of Vasseur shows they are trying to quell internal unrest. Meanwhile, Hamilton and Vasseur need to ensure their relationship remains solid to face the challenges on track.
Baca Juga
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