Lewis Hamilton has given Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur his support, amid rumours of a possible rift between the two, but indicated more “changes” within the team’s structure.
The Scuderia was forced to issue a statement offering its confidence in Vasseur earlier this week, after Christian Horner’s comments that taking charge of the team would be “the dream” sparked fresh rumours about the Frenchman’s future.
Vasseur overcame ongoing speculation last year about his position with a long-term commitment to the Maranello-based squad, but similar rumours have surfaced once again.
Horner’s interview with The Times, in which he spoke about his keenness to head-up Ferrari, hastened the growth of stories about Vasseur being potentially exiting at the end of the season.
Other reports have also linked Ferrari’s Hypercar chief Antonello Coletta to the role, but Motorsport Week understands the current plan is for the Italian to remain overseeing the WEC squad for the time being.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Hamilton, when asked about comparisons to the stability of Ferrari’s hierarchy and former team Mercedes, Hamilton pointed towards “stability” as a key to success.
“Well, structure I think is very important and definitely stability,” he told media, including Motorsport Week.
“Ultimately having everyone rolling in the same direction I think is key, probably in any business.”
When pressed on whether ‘rolling in the same direction’ is the case for Ferrari with Vasseur, Hamilton replied: “I think Fred has the full backing.”
Lewis Hamilton damns ‘negativity’ aimed at Ferrari
Hamilton has continuously spoken of his wish for certain alterations to be made within Ferrari to ensure he and the team, are platformed appropriately for a future title push, and his “begging” to Vasseur for these to be made.
Teammate Charles Leclerc lavished praise on Vasseur and offered him his support, and when asked about this, Hamilton commented that there is “a lot of focus” outside of Ferrari towards just its Team Principal.
Adding that Vasseur is a “fantastic leader,” and is “the guy to take this team in the right direction,” the seven-time World Champion once again mentioned the ‘structural’ pillars within the team, before taking aim at the “negativity” overshadowing Ferrari’s progress in 2026, and under Vasseur as a whole.
“However, there is a structure that’s been there for some time, whether or not that needs looking at moving forward,” he continued.
“There are obviously also people above Fred, and it’s not about one person. Fred has led the team to, he’s helped make changes in this past year. He’s helped us get to the second Constructors’ Championship, that’s a huge step from last year.
“The deficit [this year] we have is simply just on engine, and that’s something we don’t shy away from. We know that every weekend we carry a four-tenths deficit, if not sometimes six tenths, just in straight line power. And we’re aware of it, and that’s something we need to try and work on.
“They’re [the team] working extremely hard to try and fix that for next year. But then everybody else is working so hard with the team, back at the factory and here at the tractor, we can’t even count down.
“For me it’s frustrating to see all the negativity, because you see other people making mistakes, and they don’t normally say too much about them. And we either make the same mistake, or are not perfect, and we know we’re not.
“And it’s 10 times worse for some reason for Ferrari, but that’s also to be expected. Given that it’s the best brand here, it’s the most iconic by far.”
Once again pressed on the differences between Mercedes and Ferrari – specifically on Toto Wolff’s unique position as a Team Principal and co-owner – Hamilton made his position somewhat clearer.
“There are changes that I would make, but I’m not going to talk about what those are,” he said.
“Toto’s in a different position to Fred.”
READ MORE – Ferrari’s Team Principal or team’s principles? A Maranello mystery
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