Scuderia Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has discussed the possibility of deploying team orders between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in 2026 but believes it is too early to do so at the moment. The discussion gained traction after the two drivers had an awkward moment during the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Hamilton was 59 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli coming into the Italian GP. Talking to the media ahead of the race, the Briton made his feelings pretty clear, saying that he feels Ferrari needs to throw all of its weight behind him to help him win the title by giving him preferential treatment over Leclerc.
During the race, Hamilton divebombed Leclerc at Turn 1 on the first lap after starting behind him, only for the Monegasque to push him wide at the exit of Turn 2. Hamilton went off into the gravel and lost numerous positions, ending any prospects of a great result.
After the race, Ferrari chief Fred Vasseur was asked about team orders between the two drivers and whether they could have avoided such a moment, to which he replied [via RN365]:
“Now, to see if we have a team order or whatever, I think that the good comparison that I made was that last year Piastri was leading McLaren at this stage of the season, and if McLaren put everything on Piastri, Max Verstappen would have been champion.”
“But for sure, at one stage you have to make a decision. But I think it was too early to make a decision before Monza. Now we have time to discuss with the guys.”
But Lewis Hamilton, speaking after the race, said that it is now already too late for team orders and that it should have been done a lot earlier in the season, contradicting his team boss completely. The 41-year-old is now 76 points behind Antonelli following his P6 finish at Monza, while the Mercedes driver claimed the win.
“I don’t race dirty”: Lewis Hamilton shares stern message after Italian GP incident with Charles Leclerc
Lewis Hamilton shared a straightforward message following his incident with Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc at the Italian GP, saying he does not “race dirty.” He also claimed that he never wants to put the team in jeopardy and is always respectful of his teammate.
When asked if Ferrari needs to worry about him and Leclerc battling on track, Lewis Hamilton said [via F1.com]:
“Look, I don’t race dirty. I’ve always raced clean and fairly and always left space, so I don’t think they should be worried about me. I’ve come into the team and tried to be respectful of space and definitely not put the team in jeopardy. I stand by that and that’s all I can talk about on my side.”
“You have to speak to Fred about the other side and the decisions that are taken there.”
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc said that “we went too far” while addressing the Lap 1 Turn 2 incident between himself and Lewis Hamilton on Sunday. In response to this, Hamilton said that he was ahead at the apex and so there is no “we” in the situation, putting the blame solely on his teammate.
Edited by Samyak Sharma