Juan Pablo Montoya believes Ferrari should move away from Fred Vasseur’s current policy of treating Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc equally, arguing that the team would benefit from temporarily establishing a clear driver hierarchy. The former Formula 1 race winner has backed Vasseur to remain in charge but believes the Scuderia’s bigger problem is how the situation between its two drivers is being managed.
The debate has followed Ferrari from a difficult Italian Grand Prix at Monza into the Madrid Grand Prix weekend at the new Madring. Tension between Hamilton and Leclerc became a major talking point after their Turn 2 incident in Italy, while the wider question of whether Ferrari should impose clearer team orders has remained firmly in focus.
Juan Pablo Montoya challenges Fred Vasseur over Ferrari team orders
Fred Vasseur addressed the issue ahead of the Madrid weekend and made clear that Ferrari does not currently intend to favour either driver. The team principal explained that Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc could continue to expect equal treatment, although he acknowledged that a point could eventually arrive when Ferrari needs to reconsider that approach if one driver is no longer in contention.
Until such a situation develops, Vasseur’s position is that both sides of the garage should continue to receive the same treatment. That stance follows Ferrari’s attempts to resolve the fallout from Monza, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc having already discussed their differences directly before turning their attention towards Madrid.
Montoya sees the situation differently. Speaking to AS Colombia ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, the Colombian argued that Ferrari needs to make a clearer decision about how it manages its two drivers if it wants to extract the maximum from the team.
Montoya believes Ferrari’s real problem is driver management
Montoya maintained that the fundamental issue is administrative rather than simply a question of the two drivers resolving matters on track. In his view, Hamilton and Leclerc should be capable of dealing with many of their differences themselves, without Ferrari constantly intervening to dictate every detail of how they are permitted to race.
However, he argued that the organisation still needs to establish a firm direction. Montoya warned that Ferrari cannot allow uncertainty over its approach to continue indefinitely because, in his assessment, the situation risks becoming more difficult if the team fails to address it decisively.
His comments follow considerable scrutiny of Charles Leclerc after the Monza incident. Montoya had already been critical of the Monegasque driver’s role in the Turn 2 episode and argued that Leclerc needed to show greater respect towards his seven-time world champion team-mate. The broader dispute has also placed fresh attention on Fred Vasseur’s handling of the Hamilton-Leclerc situation after Monza.
Montoya wants Ferrari leadership above Vasseur involved
Although Montoya believes Vasseur carries some responsibility, he does not think the matter should stop with the Ferrari team principal. He suggested that any definitive message about the team’s hierarchy should come from a higher level within the organisation so that both Hamilton and Leclerc fully understand the authority behind the decision.
The former Williams and McLaren driver drew on Ferrari’s history to support his position. In his assessment, some of the team’s strongest periods came when it operated with a clearer hierarchy, an approach he compared with the way Red Bull manages its current structure.
That does not mean Montoya wants Ferrari to replace Vasseur. On the contrary, he believes the Frenchman has done a good job and remains the right person to lead the effort to end the Scuderia’s long wait for another Formula 1 title.
Why Montoya would prioritise Lewis Hamilton over Charles Leclerc
Where Montoya departs most clearly from Vasseur’s approach is on the question of a number-one driver. Rather than waiting until one Ferrari driver is mathematically or realistically out of contention, he would introduce a hierarchy between now and the end of the season and then assess whether the arrangement had improved the team’s effectiveness.
His preferred choice would be Lewis Hamilton. Montoya believes the British driver understands how such a structure works and suggested that operating behind Hamilton for a period could also provide Charles Leclerc with a useful lesson in how to manage that type of team environment.
Montoya does not regard that as a permanent demotion for Leclerc. He expects the Monegasque ultimately to have his opportunity to become Ferrari’s clear number one, but believes learning how to operate within a defined hierarchy would be valuable before that point arrives. Readers can follow the latest developments involving Charles Leclerc and Ferrari as the Madrid weekend develops.
The argument therefore goes beyond a single Monza incident. Vasseur wants Ferrari to maintain equal treatment until circumstances force a decision, while Montoya believes establishing a temporary hierarchy now could give the team greater clarity and prevent tensions between Hamilton and Leclerc from escalating. With the championship entering an important phase, the consequences of Ferrari’s driver-management policy could extend beyond the relationship between its two drivers and directly influence how effectively the Scuderia maximises its remaining opportunities.
The wider championship situation can be followed through the current Formula 1 driver standings.
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