Lewis Hamilton was not pleased with a question about Ferrari’s internal problems after Monza. While he refuses to blame his team, the Briton nevertheless demands changes in its operation.
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Lewis Hamilton has no intention of publicly fueling a crisis at Ferrari. After a particularly disappointing Italian Grand Prix for the Scuderia, the seven-time world champion sharply rejected a question suggesting that cultural problems within the team could be hindering its progress.
The Briton nevertheless openly acknowledges that Ferrari is currently not at the expected level and that some methods need to evolve. But for Hamilton, there is a difference between identifying the team’s weaknesses internally and publicly attacking the people working at Maranello.
Questioned at length after the race, he therefore wanted to defend his colleagues while sending a very clear message to management: continuing to operate in the same way will lead to the same results.
“I know what you are trying to do”
Hamilton experienced a turbulent Italian Grand Prix. From the first lap, he tried to overtake Charles Leclerc on the inside of the first chicane before ending up on the outside at turn 2.
The Monegasque pushed him towards the gravel and Hamilton fell back to tenth position. Leclerc then retired after his violent accident at the Parabolica, while his teammate ultimately salvaged sixth place.
After the finish, Hamilton was asked about the possible existence of a cultural problem at Ferrari that could prevent the team from progressing.
He clearly did not like the question.
“I know what you are trying to do,” the Briton immediately replied.
Hamilton notably refuses to turn his constructive criticism into a public attack against Ferrari.
“I don’t want to get into a dispute or start fighting against my team.”
Hamilton defends Ferrari
Since his arrival at Maranello, Hamilton has not hidden his ambition to transform Ferrari into a machine capable of winning championships.
He has increased exchanges with engineers and pushes the team to modify some of its processes. But despite the mistakes made, he insists on the human investment behind the results.
“At the end of the day, I do everything I can to help this team reach the level it needs to be at.”
Hamilton acknowledges that Monza was a failure.
“We were not good and that’s already painful enough without starting to harass members of my team.”
The Briton reminds that behind the decisions made on the circuits are people who work very hard.
“They go home to their families and they really, really work hard.”
However, Hamilton does not seek to sugarcoat reality.
“Yes, we made mistakes. It’s not good enough.”
“We need to change some things”
Defending his colleagues does not mean that Hamilton accepts the current situation.
On the contrary, the seven-time world champion believes Ferrari must deeply analyze the reasons for its repeated mistakes.
“We will go back to work, start from scratch and come back. We will arrive at the next race with good energy.”
Asked more specifically about the necessary operational changes, Hamilton notably pointed to communication and some internal procedures.
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For him, the responsibility to evolve the organization starts at the top of the hierarchy.
“In the end, it comes from the top. Decisions then ripple through the entire organization, so it starts with Fred.”
A direct reference to Fred Vasseur, Ferrari’s director.
Hamilton points to a communication problem
The Briton says he has already conveyed his message to the team during the Italian weekend.
“On Saturday, I said we need to look at how we communicate, because if we keep going down the same path, we will get the same result.”
It is precisely this repetition of the same difficulties that now seems to frustrate Hamilton.
“We keep getting the same result. We need to change some things because it doesn’t help us move forward.”
His remarks come after several delicate episodes for Ferrari, including the management of the battle between Hamilton and Leclerc.
After Monza, the Briton notably called for the establishment of real engagement rules between the two drivers to prevent internal fighting from penalizing the team again.
Changes expected after Madrid
Hamilton nevertheless believes his requests are being heard at Maranello.
“I think they are receptive.”
The Briton does not necessarily expect to see major changes as early as the next Grand Prix in Madrid.
Discussions should mainly intensify after this race to precisely study the procedures that need to evolve.
“We will discuss internally in the coming days. Probably not for next week, but especially after the next race, to try to see how we can do things differently at the procedural level to prevent the same situations from continuing to happen.”
Hamilton therefore wants a structural evolution rather than a hasty reaction to the disappointment of Monza.
An increasingly complicated sporting situation
The Italian result also dealt a new blow to Hamilton’s slim championship hopes.
With his sixth place, the Ferrari driver now trails Kimi Antonelli by 76 points. The Italian has already won seven races this season, compared to only one for Hamilton.
The situation is therefore becoming extremely complicated on the points front.
To hope to come back, Hamilton knows Ferrari can no longer afford to lose points due to communication, strategy, or internal management problems.
But he refuses to have this demand turned into an open war against his own team.
Hamilton therefore does not seek to hide Ferrari’s difficulties: he clearly believes that the Scuderia’s operation must evolve and places part of this responsibility at the top of the hierarchy. But facing the media, the Briton draws a red line: he will continue to push Ferrari to change, without publicly blaming the people with whom he is trying to bring Maranello back to the top.
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