Fred Vasseur has revealed that Ferrari held a one-hour call with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc on the Monday after the Dutch Grand Prix to explain the strategy decisions that caused frustration at Zandvoort. The Ferrari team principal believes the matter has now been resolved, with the Scuderia already turning its attention towards its home race at Monza.
Ferrari endured a turbulent Dutch Grand Prix despite finishing fourth with Lewis Hamilton and fifth with Charles Leclerc. Much of the discussion after the race centred on the way the Maranello pit wall managed its strategy and, in particular, the delay in issuing team orders when Lewis Hamilton was running behind his team-mate on fresher tyres.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc frustrated by Ferrari’s Dutch GP strategy
Lewis Hamilton was not entirely satisfied with Ferrari’s handling of the situation, pointing out that Mercedes had acted more quickly in comparable circumstances rather than allowing valuable time to be lost. The episode added to the wider debate over Ferrari’s team-order policy as the championship enters an increasingly important stage.
The seven-time world champion’s public complaints attracted considerable attention after the race and ultimately led Lewis Hamilton to issue an apology on social media. The tension was not limited to one side of the Ferrari garage, however. Charles Leclerc was also unhappy with aspects of the race management and did not hide his frustration over the timing of some of the calls made during the Grand Prix.
Ferrari’s strategy had already come under scrutiny after the race, with questions surrounding both the timing of the stops and the way the team managed the interaction between its two drivers. A closer examination of the race also showed why Ferrari’s tyre advantage was not enough to produce a Zandvoort podium.
Fred Vasseur reveals hour-long Ferrari call after Zandvoort
Speaking in a lengthy interview published in the latest edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport, Fred Vasseur insisted that the atmosphere at Maranello has already settled and that Ferrari has been able to discuss the events of Zandvoort openly with both drivers.
“It is always difficult to manage champions on the track, because they are operating at the absolute peak of their performance and they always want to win,” Fred Vasseur explained. “But it becomes really complicated when you cannot discuss things clearly with your drivers, and that is not our case.”
The Ferrari team principal then revealed that the team dedicated significant time to reviewing the race with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc immediately after the weekend.
“On Monday morning after the race, we had a one-hour call with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc and provided a clear explanation of the strategy, why we made those decisions, and by the end we had already taken stock of the situation with our focus on Monza,” Fred Vasseur said.
The discussion was intended to ensure that both drivers understood the reasoning behind Ferrari’s calls rather than allowing frustration from the Dutch Grand Prix to linger. The team had already faced scrutiny over the radio tension between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at Zandvoort, making an open debrief particularly important before the next race.
Fred Vasseur prefers open disagreement to problems being kept inside Ferrari
For Fred Vasseur, the fact that Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were willing to express their frustration is ultimately preferable to a situation in which either driver keeps concerns to himself. The French manager believes open discussion gives Ferrari the opportunity to explain its reasoning, resolve disagreements and prevent them from becoming more damaging issues within the team.
“I prefer this kind of attitude rather than running the risk of everyone keeping everything to themselves and then ending up with a much worse result,” Fred Vasseur added.
Ferrari therefore considers the Zandvoort episode closed rather than an ongoing source of tension between its drivers and the pit wall. After reviewing the strategy in detail with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, the Scuderia’s focus has already shifted to Monza, where the pressure surrounding Ferrari will inevitably increase again in front of its home supporters.
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