After a flood of questions surrounding the Ferrari Formula 1 team and its management, it’s no surprise that its drivers were asked about their feelings come the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. Not only is the team adrift of Constructors’ leaders Mercedes by 160 going into this race weekend, but a disastrous last few races has swung the Maranello outfit into chaos. But Hamilton didn’t just vouch for his team principal Fred Vasseur. He pointed upward, past the Frenchman and towards a layer of Ferrari management the Italian press has been quietly picking apart for weeks.
Italian journalist Giorgio Terruzzi reported in September that communication between Vasseur and Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna had effectively broken down, and that Vasseur had picked up the nickname “Napoleon” inside the organization over what insiders view as an increasingly centralized, increasingly brittle leadership style.
Confidantes quoted in Italian media have described him as worn down, with some suggesting he may walk away at season’s end rather than wait to be pushed. Christian Horner calling Ferrari his dream team didn’t exactly calm the waters either.
Well structure I think is very important and definitely stability and ultimately having everyone rowing in the same direction I think is key if you want to probably in any business,” he said. Asked if Vasseur had the backing he needed from above, Hamilton gave a flat “I think Fred has the full backing yeah.”
He added: “He really is about to take this team in the right direction. However, there is a structure that’s been there for some time, whether or not that needs looking at moving forwards. There are obviously also people above Fred. And it’s not about one person.
Fred has led the team. He’s helped make changes in this past year. He’s helped us get to the second in the Constructors’ Championship. That’s a huge step from last year. The deficit we have is simply just on engine and that’s something we don’t shy away from. We know that every weekend we carry a full tenth deficit, if not sometimes six tenths just in straight line power. And we’re aware of it and it’s something we need to try to work on and maybe they’re working extremely hard to try and fix that for next year.
“But then everybody else is working so hard within the team back in the factory and here at the track and it’s, for me, it’s frustrating to see all the negativity because you see other people making mistakes and they don’t – no one really says too much about them. And we either make the same mistake or I’m not perfect and you know we’re not. And it’s ten times worse for some reason for Ferrari, but that’s also to be expected. Given that it’s the best brand there is, the most iconic by far.”
Asked whether the speculation had found itself in the garage, Hamilton drew a line between his own indifference to the noise and its real effect on the people building the car.
I mean for me I don’t really read the sites, so zero effect on me. But of course when I come into the room and see it, it definitely affects individuals in the team because every weekend they try and show up and do the best job they can and don’t get it right all the time.
“And you know when your families are messaging you with the things that they’re read all the negative things that they’re reading, when the people back in the factory are reading all those things, even though they’re giving their all… It’s almost like sometimes you feel there’s nothing you can do right even when you’re giving your all, so I just thought for me the message is to not read any the stuff that’s been written because the fact is nobody that’s writing any of this stuff has actually any clue what they’re talking about because they’re not in the team.
“They don’t know what’s happening behind closed doors. They don’t know how hard everybody is working. It’s all done through assumptions and opinions. So that’s just me being, you know, frustrating to see and what we’re going to do is just continue to try and focus on doing the best job we can regardless of what’s written.