Lewis Hamilton accused of ‘undermining’ Fred Vasseur with Ferrari authority question raised…Lewis Hamilton accused of ‘undermining’ Fred Vasseur as Ferrari authority question raised

 

Lewis Hamilton has found himself at the centre of fresh debate at Ferrari after Sky Sports commentator David Croft questioned whether the seven-time Formula 1 world champion’s close relationship with Ferrari chairman John Elkann could unintentionally undermine team principal Fred Vasseur’s authority.

 

The comments come at a particularly sensitive moment for Ferrari, with Vasseur’s position having been the subject of renewed speculation following a difficult run of results and reports linking former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner with a possible future role at Maranello.

 

Ferrari moved quickly on Tuesday to put an end to the speculation, publicly declaring that it has “full confidence” in Vasseur and his team. The statement was intended to draw a line under questions surrounding the Frenchman’s future, but the debate about Ferrari’s internal power structure has continued.

 

Hamilton has previously spoken positively about his relationship with Elkann. Last year, after Elkann publicly urged Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to “talk less” and concentrate on their driving, Hamilton played down any suggestion of tension between himself and the Ferrari chairman.

 

“I speak to John every week,” Hamilton said at the time, according to Formula 1’s official website. “We have an amazing relationship.”

 

It was that relationship which prompted Croft to question how much authority Vasseur has within Ferrari.

 

Speaking on the F1 Show, Croft raised the issue of who ultimately makes the major decisions at the Italian team.

 

“Who’s in charge at Ferrari? That’s the question that needs to be asked and answered before any decisions for the future are made,” Croft said.

 

Croft questioned whether Vasseur is genuinely responsible for the major decisions affecting Ferrari or whether senior figures above him, including Elkann, play a more hands-on role.

 

He also stressed that he was not directly criticising Hamilton, but wondered whether the driver’s public description of his relationship with Elkann could have unintended consequences for Vasseur.

 

“I’m not criticising Lewis here, but when he says, ‘I’ve got a great relationship with John Elkann, we’re very, very close,’ is that actually undermining Fred, just a little bit?” Croft said.

 

“If John Elkann takes such a hands-on role, which I believe he does, then how do you expect your team principal to exert authority?”

 

The remarks do not establish that Hamilton has deliberately attempted to weaken Vasseur’s position. Rather, they represent Croft’s interpretation of the potential consequences of Ferrari’s leadership structure and Hamilton’s relationship with the company’s chairman.

 

Indeed, Hamilton has recently publicly backed Vasseur.

 

Following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Ferrari driver was asked whether he believed Vasseur was still the right person to lead the team. Hamilton responded simply: “Yes.”

 

That endorsement came as speculation over Vasseur’s future intensified.

 

The situation was partly fuelled by comments from Horner, who recently described Ferrari as his “dream” destination. The former Red Bull boss has been away from Formula 1 since leaving Red Bull in 2025, but his remarks were enough to generate renewed speculation about a possible change at Ferrari.

 

Vasseur has understandably been frustrated by the continuing questions.

 

Ferrari’s chief communications officer Maria Conti subsequently made the team’s position clear during a virtual press conference.

 

“Ferrari’s position is clear, has not changed, and Ferrari has made its choices already,” Conti said. “We have confidence — full confidence — in Fred Vasseur and in his team, and we continue to do so.”

 

The statement was significant because it came directly from Ferrari management rather than from Vasseur himself. The team also stressed the importance of remaining united and concentrating on the work ahead rather than allowing outside speculation to become a distraction.

 

Ferrari currently sit second in the constructors’ championship but remain well behind Mercedes. According to Reuters, Ferrari trail Mercedes by 160 points while holding a 72-point advantage over defending champions McLaren. The team has also struggled to maintain consistent front-running form during the recent stretch of the season.

 

That performance pressure has inevitably placed Vasseur under scrutiny.

 

Hamilton, meanwhile, has been increasingly outspoken about Ferrari’s operation.

 

The most notable example came at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc collided while battling through the opening chicane. Hamilton was forced onto the gravel and dropped down the order, while Leclerc later suffered a heavy crash.

 

After the race, Hamilton called for Ferrari to change the way it manages communication and competition between its two drivers.

 

“We’ve got to change things,” Hamilton said, arguing that Ferrari needed to examine how it communicated with its drivers.

 

Vasseur subsequently held discussions with both Hamilton and Leclerc and said that the situation had been addressed. He also rejected suggestions that the incident represented evidence of a wider internal crisis.

 

The Monza controversy nevertheless added another layer to the scrutiny surrounding Ferrari’s management.

 

Hamilton has also faced reports suggesting that he had pushed for changes among Ferrari personnel. The British driver strongly rejected those claims, stating publicly that he had never asked for anyone on his team to be replaced.

 

“I’ve never asked for anyone on my team to be replaced,” Hamilton said, insisting that the people around him work hard and are committed to moving Ferrari forward.

 

Vasseur has also previously acknowledged that Hamilton has made suggestions about changes within the team. However, he indicated that Ferrari had not implemented everything the driver wanted, describing such discussions as a normal part of working with a world champion.

 

That distinction is important.

 

A Formula 1 driver can provide strong opinions about strategy, personnel and team operations without possessing formal authority over those areas. Ultimately, Vasseur remains Ferrari’s team principal, while Elkann occupies a senior position within Ferrari’s corporate structure.

 

The current debate therefore appears to be less about an established power struggle between Hamilton and Vasseur and more about how Ferrari distributes responsibility between its sporting leadership and senior management.

 

For Hamilton, the immediate priority will be helping Ferrari improve its on-track performance. His move from Mercedes to Ferrari was driven in part by the ambition of challenging for further championships, but the 2026 campaign has not developed as hoped.

 

For Vasseur, meanwhile, the task is to restore Ferrari’s competitiveness while navigating the constant scrutiny that accompanies the most famous team in Formula 1.

 

Ferrari’s public declaration of “full confidence” provides the clearest indication of the team’s current position: Vasseur remains in charge.

 

Whether the debate over Ferrari’s internal authority disappears will depend largely on what happens on track during the remaining races of the season.

 

For now, there is no confirmed indication that Hamilton is seeking to remove Vasseur or that Ferrari is preparing to replace him. The “undermining” suggestion remains Croft’s interpretation of Hamilton’s relationship with Elkann, rather than an established fact about the Ferrari driver’s intentions.

 

What is beyond dispute is that Ferrari is once again under intense scrutiny — and with Hamilton, Vasseur and Elkann all operating under the spotlight, questions about leadership are unlikely to disappear until results improve.