Lewis Hamilton has broken his silence to respond to rumors claiming that he would be demanding significant changes within his team at Ferrari.
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Lewis Hamilton has decided to set the record straight. While several reports from Italy indicated growing tensions at Ferrari and the British driver’s desire to change part of his team, the seven-time world champion categorically denied having requested anyone’s replacement.
Corriere della Sera notably claimed that Hamilton was pushing Frédéric Vasseur to review certain elements of the operational and strategic organization of the Scuderia after several disagreements arose during the European part of the season. The Ferrari driver directly responded to these claims on his social media.
Rumors of changes around Hamilton
According to the Italian daily, relations between Hamilton and Vasseur have also cooled in recent weeks. The Ferrari director reportedly refused a request made by his driver after Monza concerning the establishment of clear written rules to govern his duels with Charles Leclerc.
The issue gained importance after tensions appeared between the two Ferraris during the Italian Grand Prix. Hamilton then regretted the absence of clearly defined rules between the two drivers, while later assuring that fans had no reason to worry about his relationship with Leclerc.
However, these new reports went much further by suggesting that Hamilton now wanted changes among the people working directly around him during race weekends.
Ferrari has already changed its organization
The British driver’s technical environment has indeed undergone several changes since his arrival in Maranello. Riccardo Adami, his long-time race engineer at Ferrari, was moved to a role related to the Ferrari Driver Academy and testing of older cars before the start of the 2026 season.
The Scuderia has also brought in Luca Diella and Cédric Grosjean, respectively arriving from Mercedes and McLaren, into the team surrounding Hamilton. Ferrari also recruited several chassis specialists over the summer to strengthen the technical department led by Loïc Serra.
These various moves have fueled questions about the internal organization of the team. However, Vasseur has already rejected claims of a crisis at Ferrari, explaining that requests made by drivers to improve the team’s functioning are part of the normal process in Formula 1.
Hamilton directly responds to the accusations
Faced with the scale of these new rumors, Hamilton chose not to let Ferrari respond alone. The British driver published a particularly clear message in which he formally denies having demanded the departure of members of his team.
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“I have seen some of the stories that have been published and I want to clarify things here. I have never asked for anyone in my team to be replaced.”
Hamilton, on the contrary, defends the people who work alongside him daily. Despite the difficulties encountered by Ferrari and several decisions that have caused his dissatisfaction this season, he insists on the commitment of his entourage.
“Everyone I work with gives their best every day and it is their commitment that allows us to move forward.”
“We all work together”
The seven-time world champion also explains that his approach is more about pushing the people around him to improve than demanding their replacement when results do not meet expectations.
“I always try to give people confidence or help them become the best version of themselves, or at least see the best in them.”
Hamilton acknowledges that this desire does not always necessarily produce the hoped-for results, but affirms that his intention remains unchanged.
“I may not always succeed, but that is my intention and that is what I am here to do. We all work together and that will continue.”
The message therefore leaves little room for interpretation regarding one of the main claims made in recent days. No specific member of Ferrari’s operational team had been mentioned in the initial reports.
As his first season at Ferrari enters its final phase, Hamilton thus intends to put an end to the idea of an internal purge being demanded. Discussions about the Scuderia’s performance and functioning certainly exist, but the British driver assures that they do not translate into a desire to replace the people working alongside him.
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