The top brass at Ferrari have got involved.
Lewis Hamilton said he is seeking answers about his latest grim weekend with Ferrari. He finished the Sao Paulo Grand Prix ninth, his worst result of the season other than the DNF he suffered at the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid. It is the first time all year that the seven-time world champion has finished outside the top six on a Sunday. And it was not just an issue on his side – Charles Leclerc also finished eighth after a post-race penalty, having also struggled to find pace on track at Interlagos.
Hamilton’s result could have been better were it not for another communication mix up between him and the Ferrari pit wall which proved costly. Late in the race, as heavy rain began to fall, most drivers immediately headed to the pit lane to change to intermediate tyres, but not Hamilton.
He was called in but stayed out on track, before telling race engineer Carlo Santi that he had not been clear enough about the weather conditions. That left him on slick tyres for another lap around a soaking wet track, costing him a lot of time and almost leading to him crashing out.
But even without that error, other than a strong launch from 20th on the grid, where he started due to engine penalties, Hamilton had struggled for pace in both wet and dry conditions. And that is something he wants to figure out quickly.
He said: “Devastated by [Sunday’s] race, especially with how it ended. It started so well, but we struggled with the tyres and massive oversteer. In those conditions, it made things incredibly difficult.
“I pushed as hard as I could, but we just didn’t have the pace this weekend. We’ll work to understand why and come back fighting at the next race. The team worked so hard on the car all weekend and I’m grateful for every bit of that effort. Ultimately, this isn’t the race we wanted to deliver.”
That disappointing race came a week after Ferrari threw away a win because their drivers squabbled for the lead on the opening lap of the Mexico City Grand Prix, only for it all to go wrong. Hamilton started on pole but Leclerc had a great launch from third and was alongside the other Ferrari by turn one.
They fought for a few corners until Leclerc went off track and came back on in the lead. That led to a time penalty which dropped him behind Max Verstappen, who had taken advantage of the duel to also slip past Hamilton, when he served it. The Dutchman never looked back and went on to win.
Hamilton was publicly furious with his team-mate’s actions and, ahead of the Brazil race, clear-the-air talks were held between the two drivers. The conversation was overseen by team principal Frederic Vasseur who, according to Italian media, was instructed by Ferrari chairman John Elkann and other senior Maranello leaders about how to handle the situation.
Vasseur refused to give details of what was said in the room, but the Frenchman did tell media that the situation had been resolved. He also made it clear that Ferrari have not changed the way they go racing as a result of the failure to win in Mexico.
He said: “The guidelines are always the same. They are two competitors with a fighting spirit for sure, but they need to have respect for each other. But, mainly and firstly, they need to respect the brand, the team, the people working at home, the people working on track. I think we are putting a lot of effort on this and the message was clear and will stay clear.”
Hamilton and Leclerc also both told reporters that their differences had been addresses during the conversation.