Lewis Hamilton denies claims of pressuring Ferrari for staff changes
Lewis Hamilton has moved swiftly to quash claims published by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera alleging he had pressured Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur into removing key trackside personnel, reports BritPanorama.
The seven-time world champion took to Instagram on Thursday to address the speculation directly. “I’ve never asked for anyone on my team to be replaced,” Hamilton wrote. “Everyone I work with works hard every day, and their dedication is what moves us forward.”
He added: “I always try to empower and lift people to be the best versions of themselves or at least see the best in themselves. I may not always achieve that but it’s my intention and what I’m here to do. We all work together and that will continue.”
The Italian report suggested that Hamilton’s long-standing relationship with Vasseur — under whom he clinched the GP2 title back in 2006 — had become strained, although the Briton did not specifically address that claim.
The denial arrives against a backdrop of mounting frustration during recent grands prix. At Zandvoort last month, Hamilton openly questioned Ferrari’s strategy over team radio, asking whether he was being deployed as a “guinea pig” and expressing dissatisfaction at being held behind teammate Charles Leclerc during his pursuit of a podium finish.
Matters scarcely improved at Monza, where Leclerc collided with Hamilton on the opening lap, pushing the Briton into the gravel and compromising his afternoon. Hamilton finished a disappointing sixth at Ferrari’s home circuit and publicly called for Vasseur to establish clearer “rules of engagement” between the two drivers.
Then came the Spanish Grand Prix, where a braking system failure forced Hamilton to retire after just six laps — his first DNF of the 2026 campaign. That retirement in Madrid proved a devastating blow to Hamilton’s already slim championship aspirations. He now trails Mercedes’ runaway leader Kimi Antonelli by a full 101 points, a deficit that appears insurmountable with the season well past its midway point.
Hamilton himself appeared to acknowledge as much in the aftermath of the Spanish race, conceding that there would be “no stopping” Antonelli and Mercedes this year. The Briton remains third in the drivers’ standings, though his recent form has been notably poor — five consecutive races have now passed without a podium finish. His solitary victory of the 2026 season came at Barcelona-Catalunya back in June, where he executed a three-stop strategy to perfection for his maiden triumph in Ferrari red, some 14 races into his tenure with the Scuderia.
It is worth noting, however, that Hamilton has not been entirely averse to reshaping his inner circle. Ahead of the current campaign, following a deeply underwhelming debut season at Maranello that yielded no podiums and only sixth place in the championship, he opted to change his race engineer. Carlo Santi and Cedric Grosjean were brought in to replace Riccardo Adami, adjustments that have contributed to a markedly improved 2026.
Hamilton has spent this week at Imola, roughly 50 miles from Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters, conducting Pirelli tyre testing with an eye already fixed on 2027. The Formula One calendar resumes next weekend in Baku, the first leg of a demanding triple-header that also takes in Malaysia and Singapore.
Despite the challenges, Hamilton’s resilience has never been in doubt — a testament to how the pressures of competition can squeeze greatness and tension into a single race weekend.
