Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur believes his team executed their strategy effectively at the Miami Grand Prix, despite frustrations voiced by Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc during the race.
The incident in question occurred mid-race when Lewis Hamilton (driving for Mercedes), who was on softer tyres, sought to overtake Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in an effort to catch Kimi Antonelli for sixth place. The team did not immediately instruct Leclerc to let Hamilton pass, leading to increasing impatience from Hamilton.
After a delay of several laps, Leclerc eventually moved aside, allowing Hamilton through. However, Hamilton found he could not significantly pull away from Leclerc on his medium compound tyres.
Subsequently, the seven-time world champion allowed Leclerc to repass. Hamilton then made a sarcastic comment suggesting he should also let the other Ferrari driver, Carlos Sainz, through. Leclerc and Sainz, the Ferrari pair, ultimately finished the race in seventh and eighth positions respectively.
Post-race, Hamilton revealed he told Vasseur to “not be so sensitive” during their conversation and asserted that he would not apologize for his competitive spirit.
Speaking to the media, Vasseur acknowledged the drivers` feelings. “I can understand the frustration of the guys in the cars,” he stated. He defended the team`s handling of the situation, explaining, “in the end it was well executed because Lewis was behind Charles, with a softer compound, we let him go and as per our internal rules in the team, we swapped back at the end.”
Vasseur added, “We gave the chance to Lewis to go in front of Charles because it was impossible to overtake between them if we don`t let them go and it was an opportunity for Lewis to catch Antonelli. I think we did a good job.”
He recounted the tense radio exchanges, noting Hamilton brought up the Chinese Grand Prix where he had previously made way for Leclerc, and also used the frustrated line, “have a tea break while you`re at it, come on!”
“I had a discussion with Lewis and I can perfectly understand the frustration. They are champions, they want to win races,” Vasseur said. “We are asking them to let their team-mate go. It`s not easy, it`s never easy. We took the responsibility to do it because it`s the policy of the team.”
He stressed the team`s priority: “We are racing for Ferrari first. Honestly, I think as a team we did a good job. Again, we can argue that it would have been better to do it half a lap before or half a lap later.”
Vasseur also highlighted the challenge of making instant decisions on the pit wall, having to assess whether a car`s speed advantage is genuine or merely due to DRS. “It`s not an easy call. It`s always much easier to do it two hours later,” he commented, noting that the drivers ultimately followed the instructions and that subsequent discussions were more relaxed.
Expert Opinion: Jenson Button on Tire Damage
Former F1 driver Jenson Button commented on the incident, explaining the technical impact: “They were on a different strategy. The problem is, even just one lap behind damages your tyres. It puts the temperatures up on the medium tyre, you have lost the best of it and you don’t get it back.” He empathized with the frustration, suggesting that a pre-race plan should automatically trigger a swap if a car on softer tyres is behind.
Vasseur: Building Trust with Drivers
Vasseur and Hamilton share a long history, knowing each other since their time in GP2 in the mid-2000s.
Now in his third season as Ferrari team principal, Vasseur reiterated that he doesn`t see the Miami team order dispute or the drivers` reactions as a significant problem. He emphasized the mutual trust between himself and his drivers, stating, “He [Hamilton] can trust me, I can trust him. The same with Charles.”
He reiterated that decisions made in the heat of the moment are always for the benefit of the team. “When I have to make a decision, I`m making a decision for Ferrari with the element that you have [to do it] live.” He noted the difficulty of assessing real-time data to determine true pace versus effects like DRS.
Vasseur acknowledged that the decision might have felt slow to the drivers, taking “one lap or one-lap-and-a-half.” He contrasted the driver perspectives: the one behind always wants an immediate swap, while the one ahead questions if the advantage is purely DRS-based. He pointed out that the roles were reversed later in the race.
Ferrari`s Pace Compared to Rivals
Vasseur stressed that the primary concern from the Miami weekend was Ferrari`s overall lack of pace, which saw them finish nearly a minute behind race winner Oscar Piastri. McLaren`s dominant one-two finish in Miami highlighted the gap, significantly increasing their lead over Ferrari in the championship standings.
Despite Leclerc finishing seventh, 20 seconds adrift of George Russell in third, Vasseur maintained his belief that Ferrari`s race pace in Miami was comparable to that of Red Bull and Mercedes. However, he admitted the team needs to improve its performance on new tyres in qualifying.
“The pace in Miami is difficult when you are stuck in the pack,” he said, but felt their speed “was probably matching with Red Bull and Mercedes.”
He conceded McLaren was exceptionally fast, saying they were “on another planet,” and admitted Ferrari hadn`t expected to challenge them directly. However, Vasseur believes a better starting position would have allowed Ferrari to compete more closely with Max Verstappen and Mercedes.
