Frederic Vasseur told to curb Lewis Hamilton’s ‘smug’ behaviour at Ferrari amid rising criticism. Lewis Hamilton’s 2025 F1 struggles with Ferrari continued at the Canadian GP.

Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari frustrations continue with another lacklustre result at the 4.361-kilometre Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal on Sunday, sparking fresh calls for Frederic Vasseur to take control of internal tensions

The Briton’s challenging debut season with Ferrari endured yet another difficult chapter at the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix, where the seven-time Formula 1 world champion could manage no better than sixth place. The result marked Hamilton’s tenth consecutive race without a podium since joining the Scuderia—his longest drought at the start of any F1 season in a career spanning 19 years.

The 40-year-old was still over 40 seconds adrift of the podium at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, even after gaining a position when Lando Norris collided with Oscar Piastri in the final laps. Prior to that incident and the resulting safety car, the Ferrari man had trailed teammate Charles Leclerc by more than 21 seconds in seventh. Had the McLaren driver not crashed, Lewis Hamilton was on course to finish outside the top six for a fifth time in 10 races with Ferrari.

With mounting pressure, Hamilton remains hopeful that upgrades to the SF-25—most notably a new rear suspension package and potentially a revised floor due for debut at the Austrian Grand Prix on June 29—can finally unlock more performance from his car. But while technical improvements may be on the horizon, tensions within the Ferrari garage continue to simmer.

Lewis Hamilton has repeatedly clashed with his race engineer, Riccardo Adami, throughout the 2025 campaign. Their most recent disagreement surfaced during qualifying in Montreal, where Hamilton expressed frustration over what he perceived as a miscalculation by the team. After Adami informed him that his Q1 lap was safe, Lewis Hamilton accused Ferrari of mismanaging his tyre strategy and “wasting” a valuable set. Earlier in the season, the Briton was handed a grid penalty in Monaco for impeding Max Verstappen—another situation attributed to confusion over radio instructions, with Adami reportedly unaware Lewis Hamilton was on a flying lap.

In Miami, Lewis Hamilton’s agitation spilled over once more as he sarcastically remarked that Adami appeared to be on a “tea break” while he waited to be waved past Charles Leclerc. These repeated outbursts have now prompted former F1 driver and commentator Christian Danner to publicly urge Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur to intervene.

Speaking to Motorsport Magazin, Christian Danner argued that Fred Vasseur should demand an immediate end to what he described as “smug remarks” and internal disputes, suggesting such behaviour undermines team cohesion and Ferrari’s overall competitiveness. He indicated that, were he in Vasseur’s position, he would instruct both Hamilton and his race engineer to put a stop to public disagreements over the radio.

Christian Danner also criticised Charles Leclerc’s radio conduct during the Canadian GP, labelling the Monegasque’s exchange with his own engineer as “insane.” Charles Leclerc had openly disagreed with Ferrari’s decision to pursue a two-stop strategy after starting the race from eighth on hard compound tyres. Although the 27-year-old had lobbied for a one-stop approach to compensate for his poor qualifying, the team overruled him.

Christian Danner felt the situation highlighted ongoing communication failures within the Ferrari camp, noting that repeated misalignments between drivers and engineers make the team appear disorganised. He argued that publicly aired disputes, like the ones seen in Montreal, not only erode credibility but also harm performance.

Although a one-stop strategy ultimately worked for Haas driver Esteban Ocon, who rose from 14th to ninth, Danner pointed out that the circumstances were different. Ocon’s gain came from rivals pitting into traffic, a factor that did not apply to Charles Leclerc’s race. In that context, Ferrari’s two-stop call may have been correct—but the way it was managed further reinforced perceptions of dysfunction within the team.

With Ferrari underperforming and internal frustrations boiling over, the spotlight remains fixed on Fred Vasseur’s leadership. As Lewis Hamilton awaits upgrades to help turn his season around, the bigger question may be whether Ferrari can restore harmony and direction before the 2025 campaign slips further from their grasp.