Ferrari F1 chief Fred Vasseur insists he has cleared things up with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton after their high-profile clash at the Mexican Grand Prix last week.
At the Mexico event, Hamilton and Leclerc both left the track on the first lap as they battled for the lead, with Hamilton losing a position to Max Verstappen, while Leclerc was penalized and ultimately ceded the lead to the Red Bull driver.
Verstappen won the race with Hamilton second and Leclerc off the podium fourth, with the clash of sabers on the first lap depriving the team of a possible third victory of the campaign. Hamilton was particularly furious with the way Leclerc confronted him at the start, lobbying for the stewards to impose a heavier penalty on his teammate for cutting the track.
The seven-time world champion demanded serious discussions with Leclerc and Vasseur about how hard his teammate was driving him, while Vasseur was frustrated by what he saw as a lack of respect for the 2,000 Maranello employees who were trying to provide both drivers with a winning car.
Those discussions took place on Thursday evening in Sao Paulo, and speaking to the media for the first time since last weekend, Vasseur insisted the message to his two drivers was loud and clear. Ferrari must always come first.
“The guidelines are always the same. They are two competitors with a fighting spirit of course, but they must respect each other,” said Vasseur. “But first and foremost, they have to respect the brand, the team, the people who work at home, the people who work on the track. I think we put a lot of effort into that and the message was clear and will remain clear.”
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images
On Thursday, Hamilton said he agreed with suggestions that Leclerc was racing harder against him than against other drivers, with his team boss pointing to Leclerc’s aggressive overtaking of Verstappen in Austin to downplay those claims.
“He said he probably fought a little harder with him than with others, but if you look at what Charles did in Austin in the first sector, everyone said it was magic,” Vasseur said. “The line is good between the two. But he didn’t hit the other car.”
The Frenchman added: “Of course, in this situation we failed collectively because we were one and two and we didn’t win the race in the end. That means it’s clear that we failed and we have to react.
“But the conclusion of last night’s meeting was a clear reminder that Ferrari is first, first for the brand, for the employees, for the Tifosi, and we must keep that in mind.”
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