Hamilton pushing for number one status, according to AutoRacer, citing championship position

Relations inside the Ferrari garage are beginning to unravel. After the fiasco in Mexico, Lewis Hamilton decided to launch a determined offensive. He also took that fight into the media, which rarely pays off at Ferrari, but the seven-time champion is now claiming the moral high ground. Even so, he should probably not assume he is in a strong enough position to force his way.

The Italian media were largely unanimous in their reporting of the mysterious meeting in Brazil, and their conclusion was clear: Lewis Hamilton had sought confirmation from Ferrari’s management that he would become the team’s new number one and be given priority over Charles Leclerc. Very similar reports followed the incident at Monza, prompting Hamilton to respond on social media that he had never requested number one status.

As far as the official statements were concerned, the outcome of the meeting disappointed many. Reports suggested Lewis Hamilton’s body language showed signs of disappointment afterwards, while Fred Vasseur stressed that “Ferrari has turned the page”.

No rules of engagement were agreed for future battles between the pair, however. “Mainly, and firstly, they need to respect the brand, the team, the people working at home and the people working at the track. We’re putting a lot of effort into this, and the message was clear and will stay clear,” said Vasseur.

According to the Italian media, president John Elkann had also demanded that Ferrari’s interests be emphasised as the priority. Anyone expecting more decisive intervention, such as a ban on the drivers racing each other or something similar, will be disappointed. Fred Vasseur appears merely to have reprimanded his drivers and stressed that they should not damage Ferrari’s reputation or the team’s chances of victory.

“Before the meeting, the team principal had received explicit instructions from Ferrari’s senior management in Maranello, some of them directly from John Elkann. The leadership was particularly incensed by the damage the dispute had inflicted on the team’s reputation,” reported AutoRacer, which generally has reliable information from behind the scenes.

“The controversy extends well beyond what happened between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc on the opening lap. More troubling is the way their sporting rivalry has spilled into a public dispute, fuelled by statements from the seven-time world champion that have increasingly distorted the reality of what took place,” AutoRacer wrote.

The outlet provided some intriguing details of how the meeting reportedly unfolded. Hamilton began by congratulating Leclerc on the birth of his daughter Bianca, and the conversation started warmly, but tensions soon surfaced as it continued. According to AutoRacer, the discussion went well beyond what had happened in Mexico.

“Frédéric Vasseur was determined to make his position clear while giving both drivers the opportunity to explain theirs. Crucially, however, the discussion appears to have been less about determining who was right or wrong in the on-track incident and more about preventing the dispute from causing further damage to the team as a whole,” AutoRacer wrote.

Hamilton seeks confirmation of number one status

Fred reportedly held a video call with the management in Maranello shortly before the meeting, so he could be described as acting on behalf of Elkann and his colleagues. Elkann, however, evidently requested no change to the hierarchy. “There would be no change to the internal hierarchy, a decision entirely consistent with Ferrari’s existing philosophy. With Leclerc and Hamilton now fighting, at best, for second place in the Drivers’ Championship, there are no plans to give either driver preferential treatment from the outset,” AutoRacer wrote.

Hamilton, however, is not at all happy with that. The same request had already been rebuffed at Monza, where he held a 36-point advantage over Leclerc after the race, compared with “only” 14 points now. Ferrari therefore sees no reason to give Lewis priority.

“That approach, however, appears to sit less comfortably with the seven-time British world champion. Hamilton believes that having maintained an advantage over Leclerc in the championship standings since the beginning of the season should entitle him to greater priority in the team’s decision-making,” AutoRacer wrote.

“Hamilton wants his performances so far to be reflected in his standing within the team, while Ferrari remains determined to treat its two drivers as equals,” the Italian outlet added.

While Vasseur tried to keep Thursday’s discussion focused on reinforcing the fundamental principle that Ferrari comes first, Hamilton expected a change to the hierarchy. According to the Italian reports, however, he should be careful. Trying to defy the Scuderia’s wishes rarely serves a driver well.

“When Hamilton suggests that Leclerc has a habit of being particularly aggressive towards his teammates, his criticism inevitably casts an indirect shadow over those responsible for managing Ferrari’s driver pairing,” AutoRacer writes.

“That does not necessarily mean the Briton intends to challenge Vasseur’s authority. Nevertheless, rather than coming across as a desperate appeal to be heard, Hamilton’s remarks have had a damaging effect, forcing the team principal to intervene in a dispute he would much rather have resolved privately, away from the glare of the public spotlight,” the Italian report stated.

Leclerc has a clear advantage in situations like these. Back in September, AutoRacer wrote about Charles’s thorough understanding of the internal dynamics at Maranello. On this occasion, he had to endure plenty of harsh criticism from Hamilton, but those remarks failed to persuade Ferrari’s management from afar.

“Should the public controversy continue, Vasseur’s attempt to draw a line under the affair could instead give way to a rift that proves impossible to repair,” AutoRacer wrote.

Leclerc met that requirement perfectly with his very diplomatic comments after Friday’s running, echoing Vasseur’s insistence that it was necessary to turn the page. Hamilton would seemingly be well advised to follow that example, but the Briton was still attacking Leclerc on Thursday, keeping the controversy alive ahead of the crucial meeting with Vasseur that day.

According to AutoRacer, however, he would be better off proceeding with caution. “If even Elkann is beginning to lose patience with the fallout from this rivalry, it is reasonable to question how much longer Hamilton can count on the backing of Ferrari’s leadership — particularly if the Briton chooses to keep his confrontation with Leclerc alive,” the Italian outlet warned.