The director of Ferrari, Fred Vasseur, has rejected speculations that the team divided the strategy of its drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, during the Spanish Grand Prix with the aim of keeping them apart on track.
The relationship between Leclerc and Hamilton has recently attracted attention, with incidents like the one in Zandvoort, where Hamilton asked Ferrari to apply team orders to overtake the Monegasque driver. At the Italian GP, both drivers made contact on the first lap, which hurt Hamilton’s race, who had a disadvantage.
In the Spanish GP, where Hamilton qualified fourth and Leclerc fifth, the team opted for completely different tire strategies: Hamilton started on soft tires, while Leclerc chose hard tires. In response to questions about whether this decision was to separate the drivers, Vasseur argued that it was not the intention.
“If we look at other teams, like McLaren with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, we see similar strategies. I don’t think they would have been afraid of an accident between them,” Vasseur said to the media after the race.
In the competition, Hamilton suffered a brake issue during the early laps and had to retire shortly after. Meanwhile, Leclerc tried to make the most of his hard tire strategy, hoping for a possible safety car that did not arrive. The driver commented that, given the situation, his decision had been correct.
“There were no options to overtake, so opting for hard tires was the best strategy. If I had to start the race again, I would do it the same way,” Leclerc stated, reflecting that his decision had been the most appropriate under the circumstances.”
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
