Lewis Hamilton gave his support to team principal Fred Vasseur, but remains critical of Ferrari's leadership structure.
Ferrari driver and seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton has given his support to embattled team principal Fred Vasseur. The 41-year-old British driver says that Vasseur is a "fantastic leader" who can direct Ferrari in the "right direction."
Hamilton's teammate, Charles Leclerc, followed suit, saying that Vasseur is "extremely capable." The Monegasque driver also mentioned that any rumors connecting former Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner to Ferrari are "silly."
The Ferrari drivers' comments come amidst speculations and clamour to strip Vasseur of his current role. However, it seems that there's no truth to these rumors just yet, especially with the Ferrari management recently putting their weight behind their Italian team principal.
Maria Conti, Ferrari's head of communication, already said that the team is fully confident in Vasseur's capabilities as a leader.
Hamilton remains critical of Ferrari's leadership
Hamilton didn't stop with his praise for Vasseur's abilities. He hinted that there are "people above" Vasseur who should also be held accountable, pointing to a structure that has been a staple in the team for a long time.
We're not sure as to who Hamilton is referring to, or if it's the leadership structure that is to blame. What we can say is that a team principal turnover isn't the solution that Hamilton is advocating.
Frankly, Hamilton might be right. Since last winning a Drivers' Championship in 2007 (Kimi Raikkonen) and a Constructors' Title in 2008 (Raikkonen and Felipe Massa), the team has gone through five different team principals. The list includes Stefano Domenicali (2008-2014), Marco Mattiaci (2014), Maurizio Arrivabene (2014-2019), Mattia Binotto (2019-2022), and Vasseur (2023-present).
And yet, they're still on a 17-year championship drought.
Can Ferrari bounce back in Malaysia?
After Hamilton won the Barcelona-Catalunya GP and Leclerc emerged victorious in the British GP, Ferrari's season has gone cold. In the last three races, they've only compiled a combined 40 points between the two drivers.
Vasseur assured the Tifosi that there will be improvements to the SF-26 soon, but will that happen at Sepang? Are they going to bring significant upgrades here? We know that they didn't bring any upgrades to Baku last week, where Leclerc finished P4, and Hamilton crossed the line in P6.
It doesn't help that McLaren is right around the corner, stalking their prey. Ferrari still has enough cushion of a 72-point lead over third-place McLaren in the Teams' Standings, but Lando Norris is closing the gap on Hamilton. Norris already overtook Leclerc for P4 in the Drivers' Standings, and he's just trailing Hamilton by 13 points for P3.
Hamilton, Leclerc, and company must deliver a strong weekend in Malaysia. That will bode well for their championship points and also ease some pressure off Vasseur's shoulders.
