The head of the Ferrari team, Fred Vasseur, has rejected speculation about an alleged division of strategy between his drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, during the Spanish Grand Prix. These allegations arose after the two drivers had different performances in qualifying and during the race.
The relationship between Leclerc and Hamilton has been under scrutiny lately. At Zandvoort, Hamilton asked Ferrari to implement team orders that would allow him to overtake Leclerc. In contrast, during the Italian race, both drivers encountered each other and that complicated Hamilton’s race, causing him to lose positions.
During the Spanish GP, Hamilton chose to start the race on soft tires, while Leclerc used hard tires. When Vasseur was questioned about this strategic decision that seemed aimed at separating the two drivers, he defended that it was not an attempt to avoid a confrontation between them.
“Look, other teams like McLaren or Red Bull also divided their drivers’ strategies,” Vasseur told reporters. “I don’t think they are afraid of their drivers colliding.”
Hamilton’s race was compromised by a brake issue, which forced him to retire shortly after getting on track. In contrast, Leclerc stayed in the race hoping that a safety car would appear in the last laps, allowing him to make a strategic pit stop.
Leclerc stated, “We could have made several decisions, but I believe the best option was the one we chose. I would have ended up with the same strategy as the drivers ahead of me if I had started on soft tires. Therefore, I think the decision we made was the right one; unfortunately, the safety car did not arrive.”
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
