Ferrari may have publicly reinforced its support for Fred Vasseur, but former Formula 1 driver Jolyon Palmer believes one major issue still demands the team principal’s attention: the increasingly tense on-track relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
During a press call this week, Ferrari made clear that Fred Vasseur retains the team’s full backing following weeks of intense speculation over his future. Yet questions over how he manages his two drivers have become another part of the discussion around Fred Vasseur’s position at Maranello, particularly after recent incidents at Zandvoort and Monza.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc tension becomes a Fred Vasseur concern
Palmer believes both Ferrari drivers are competing to establish themselves as the team’s leading figure and that Vasseur now needs to impose greater control before their rivalry becomes more disruptive.
The first recent flashpoint came at the Dutch Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton caught Charles Leclerc while running on fresher tyres and became frustrated when Ferrari did not immediately reverse their positions. The seven-time world champion spent several laps closely following his team-mate before Leclerc eventually stopped, and Hamilton believed the delay had damaged his chances of reaching the podium.
The tension continued late in the race. Charles Leclerc came close to making contact with Hamilton while attempting to pass him on the final lap, although the Monegasque driver’s radio messages were not broadcast after Ferrari reportedly prevented them from being aired.
The episode added another chapter to the evolving Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton season comparison, with their internal battle increasingly extending beyond outright results.
Monza produced another Ferrari flashpoint
The situation resurfaced at Monza. Lewis Hamilton attempted to challenge Charles Leclerc at the start but ran through the gravel and lost six positions. He subsequently complained to his race engineer that the other Ferrari had forced him off the circuit.
Neither the Zandvoort nor Monza episode developed into a public falling-out between the drivers, but Palmer believes the frequency of the radio complaints and on-track incidents has become significant enough for the team principal to intervene more firmly.
Speaking on the Chequered Flag podcast, Jolyon Palmer expressed support for Fred Vasseur overall. He described the Frenchman as a genuine racer and argued that Ferrari’s operational level under his leadership has probably been stronger than it has been for a long time.
Palmer nevertheless identified the Lewis Hamilton-Charles Leclerc rivalry as the principal question mark. In his view, too many recent races have featured radio frustration from one of the two drivers, while the Monza incident provided another visible example of the underlying competition between them.
He argued that the situation now needs to stop escalating and noted that both drivers have already spoken with Fred Vasseur. Palmer characterised them as two fast competitors with the ambition and ego required to become Ferrari’s number one driver, placing responsibility on the team principal to keep that internal fight under control.
Questions over authority inside Ferrari continue
The management of the drivers also feeds into a wider debate about where authority ultimately sits inside Ferrari. David Croft has questioned who is truly in charge at Maranello and suggested that chairman John Elkann may exercise more influence than previously assumed.
Croft has also questioned whether the close relationship between John Elkann and Lewis Hamilton could potentially weaken Fred Vasseur’s authority. That issue has already become part of the broader discussion surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s relationship with John Elkann and Ferrari’s leadership structure.
The subject is particularly sensitive because Ferrari has also faced wider questions over communication and decision-making during a difficult period, with recent episodes adding to scrutiny around the team’s internal management.
Fred Vasseur responds to the Monza fallout
Fred Vasseur indicated after Monza that Charles Leclerc had accepted responsibility for his part in the incident. At the same time, the Ferrari team principal was critical of Lewis Hamilton’s post-race comments after the British driver expressed frustration over what he regarded as a lack of clearly defined rules of engagement between the team-mates.
The competitive balance between the two has also changed. Charles Leclerc outscored Lewis Hamilton by 86 points last season, but ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia the Monegasque trails his team-mate by 20 points.
It has previously been reported that Charles Leclerc expected to establish himself as Ferrari’s number one driver when Fred Vasseur arrived. That formal status has never been granted, although his long association with the team gives him considerable history within the Maranello structure. He is described as Ferrari’s second-longest-serving driver and is expected soon to move ahead of Michael Schumacher by the relevant measure referenced in the original reporting.
Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, arrived with one of the most successful records in Formula 1 history. Even so, Palmer’s assessment highlights the difficulty of establishing a clear internal hierarchy when the seven-time world champion is sharing a team with a driver whose Ferrari career stretches back many seasons.
That leaves Fred Vasseur with a delicate management challenge. Ferrari has publicly backed its team principal, and Palmer supports the work he has done operationally, but the developing rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc is becoming an increasingly important test of his authority as both drivers pursue the same position at the heart of the team.
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