In the last competition of the season, the Spanish GP, the team principal of Ferrari, Fred Vasseur, has rejected speculations about whether the information regarding the race strategies of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton had been designed to separate the two drivers on track. This controversy arises in a context of tense relations between the two, following previous incidents.
Recently, at the Zandvoort GP, a certain discomfort was perceived during team communications when Hamilton asked for team orders to be able to overtake Leclerc. The situation became even more complicated during the Italian race, when Hamilton and Leclerc collided on the first lap, negatively affecting the British driver’s race.
Despite these incidents, Ferrari has maintained that there are no internal conflicts between its drivers. In a press conference following the Spanish GP, Vasseur was asked about the decision to split the strategies of his drivers, with Hamilton starting on soft tires and Leclerc on hard ones, and his response was emphatic. ‘The strategies were similar to those of other teams; some have opted to do the same,’ he indicated.
The race saw Hamilton struggling with brake issues that made his performance on the soft tires unfeasible, leading him to retire after only a few laps. In contrast, Leclerc chose to hold on with his hard tires, hoping for a possible safety car entry at the end of the race to make a strategic stop that did not materialize.
Leclerc defended his strategic choice, stating that if he had to run the race again, he would do exactly the same. He concluded that, given the circuit situation and race conditions, his option was the best for the team, even though it did not result in the expected outcome.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
