Fred Vasseur had until now been reluctant to establish a hierarchy between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. After the disaster at Monza, the Ferrari boss now seems ready to reconsider his position.
Read more Charles Leclerc declared fit to compete in the Spanish Grand Prix after his accident in Monza
The situation could change significantly at Ferrari after the Italian Grand Prix. While Fred Vasseur had until now been reluctant to favor one of his drivers in the title race, the Frenchman now acknowledges that the time may be approaching to make a decision.
The result at Monza has significantly altered the internal balance. Charles Leclerc retired after a violent accident while Lewis Hamilton, despite a difficult race, finished sixth. The Briton now has a 36-point lead over his teammate in the championship.
Above all, Hamilton remains the Ferrari driver best placed to try to catch Kimi Antonelli. A situation that could push the Scuderia to impose team orders in the upcoming races.
Vasseur wants to talk to his drivers first
The issue became particularly sensitive after the incident that occurred on the very first lap at Monza.
Hamilton moved inside Leclerc at the braking of the first corner, which placed him on the outside in the second. On the exit, the Monegasque widened his line and forced his teammate onto the gravel.
Hamilton dropped to tenth position, immediately destroying the possibility for Ferrari to coordinate its two cars in the fight at the front.
Asked after the race, Vasseur however refused to assign blame before having spoken with his drivers.
“I spoke with Lewis for two seconds and not at all with Charles, so we haven’t had time to discuss it yet,” he explains.
When invited to give his opinion on the incident anyway, the Ferrari boss preferred to hold back.
“No, I prefer to discuss it with them first rather than with you.”
“The outcome of turns 1 and 2 is not good for the team”
Vasseur nevertheless acknowledges that the consequence of the duel between his drivers is obviously bad for Ferrari.
“It is certain that the outcome of turns 1 and 2 is not good for the team, if that is the question.”
The observation is hard to dispute.
Ferrari started with Leclerc third and Hamilton fourth and could have hoped to use its two cars to put pressure on Pierre Gasly and George Russell. A few hundred meters later, Hamilton found himself in the middle of the pack.
The situation then worsened when Leclerc lost control of his car at the Parabolica on the next lap and violently hit the barriers.
Ferrari thus went in a few moments from an ideal position to play a leading role to a damage limitation race with Hamilton as the only representative.
Hamilton now has a 36-point lead over Leclerc
This retirement could also have important consequences on the management of the end of the season.
Hamilton was already better placed than Leclerc in the championship before Monza. His advantage over the Monegasque now reaches 36 points.
For several weeks, the idea of seeing Ferrari focus its efforts on the seven-time world champion has therefore been regularly mentioned.
Read more Charles Leclerc rejects rumors of tensions with Lewis Hamilton despite their clash
Vasseur had until now refused to take this direction too early.
To justify his caution, the Frenchman notably relies on the example of McLaren last season. At a comparable point in the championship, Oscar Piastri was ahead of Lando Norris. According to Vasseur, if the British team had then decided to bet everything on the Australian, Max Verstappen would have ultimately won the title.
“The good comparison I made is that last year, Piastri was ahead at McLaren at this stage of the season. If McLaren had bet everything on Piastri, Max Verstappen would have been champion.”
Vasseur now opens the door to team orders
The Ferrari boss’s discourse evolves, however, after Monza.
“It is certain that at some point, a decision must be made.”
For Vasseur, that moment simply had not yet arrived before the Italian Grand Prix.
“I think it was too early to make a decision before Monza. Now, we have time to discuss it with the drivers.”
An important statement that clearly opens the door to the introduction of team orders in favor of Hamilton.
This does not necessarily mean that Leclerc will immediately receive the order to yield his positions to his teammate in all situations. Ferrari could nevertheless start to favor the Briton when its two drivers are directly competing and important points are at stake.
Hamilton believes Ferrari has already waited too long
The problem is that Hamilton himself now considers that such a decision would come far too late.
After his sixth place at Monza and Antonelli’s new victory, the Briton is now 76 points behind the championship leader.
Asked about the possibility that Ferrari starts to favor him, Hamilton did not hide his frustration.
“It is way too late to make this kind of decision. It is several, several weeks too late.”
The seven-time world champion believes that the Scuderia should have acted when the gap in the championship was still more easily recoverable.
His message is not only about team orders. After his incident with Leclerc at the start, Hamilton also asked Ferrari to establish precise engagement rules between its drivers, recalling that Mercedes had written rules when he was fighting notably with Nico Rosberg.
Ferrari faces a delicate choice
Vasseur therefore faces an important decision.
Continuing to let Hamilton and Leclerc compete on an equal footing would preserve the sporting freedom of both drivers, but could also further complicate Ferrari’s slim hopes of the title.
Conversely, designating Hamilton as priority would theoretically maximize every opportunity to take points from Antonelli, at the risk of creating a delicate situation with Leclerc.
The 36-point gap between the two Ferrari drivers could now tip the balance.
Vasseur still refused to choose before Monza. After Leclerc’s retirement, Hamilton’s sixth place and especially their costly duel on the first lap, the Ferrari boss acknowledges that the time to make a decision is approaching. It remains to be seen whether this change will come early enough to still have an influence on the title race.