Hamilton Has Put Ferrari’s Boss on the Spot

Ferrari? Lewis and Scholl aren't boys anymore. They are men. And I'm sorry, one of them is doing a really rubbish Schumacher impression. Really? Pointing fingers, Lewis, in public? That ain't it. One Ferrari in the gravel, the other in the barriers, and now the argument has reached the boss's office. What a lovely homecoming, lads, because Lewis finished Ferrari's home race pointing responsibility directly at Fred Verseur. And if you want something that is akin to the Schumacher era, publicly dressing down your team boss is not the way to go. Or, if you are really being generous, it's a very ballsy opening move, rather unorthodox. But here's what makes all of this interesting, though, and I do have to get the spanner out just a little bit here. I think that maybe what Hamilton is trying to do is maybe allow Fred Verseur to have the authority to make maybe bolder opening calls, him pleading to Ferrari's bosses to give Fred the authority to be able to do what he needs to do. But at the same time, the way that Lewis is going about it might make Fred's position harder to defend, as in he's trying to help out his mate, he's actually ending up not helping his mate, or making things even more precarious. That's what I want to talk about today, folks. Is Lewis trying to get Fred out of the way, or is he trying to get Fred to allow him to move Charles out of the way? And that doesn't mean that Lewis gets off scot-free here, because he may end up being accountable for it himself later if he chooses not to comply with it, so it's not all sunshine and roses for him. Let's just say that this is a very major side effect of having two titans of the motorsporting world in the same garage, you know. These two men, they are pretty influential. And Ferrari thought it might work, since Fred knows these two. He worked with Hamilton during his TP2 year in 2006, and around Sable when McLaren arrived in F1 in 2018. And that familiarity, that was supposed to help this pairing work, but understanding their personalities, it doesn't really settle whose ambitions come first, because these are men now with careers, not juniors trying to get their way into the top tier of motorsport. Also, Charles didn't spend years establishing himself at Ferrari as il predestinato, to become a supporting character when Hamilton walked through the door. And equally, Lewis didn't just step into the Ferrari garage for the sake of it, to spend his twilight years wearing red and thinking, oh, this is a nice little novelty I didn't expect to have. And one thing is for sure, neither of them are prepared to be the footnote in the other's comeback story. And that little fracas resulted in a absolutely disastrous home race. A second row lockout became sixth place and a retirement for Leclerc at the Parabolica for the second time in six years. And their first chicane encounter, that was enough to make any sim racer wince, because this is turn one at Monza. This is not an open lobby, guys. Come on, you're better than that. And as for Leclerc's crash later on in the race, I mean, one lap later, that is its own separate argument. But at the same time, Lewis doesn't really have the grounds to be judge, jury and execution in all of this. And yes, I will hold up my British passport and admit that I do have some sympathy towards Lewis's frustration. But I will put it right back down again, because Charles does get to have his say too. Lewis's old flame, Nico Rosberg, blamed Leclerc for the first chicane encounter, while his Sky Sports colleague Martin Brundle disagreed, pointing to Hamilton's entry and Charles's position through the second corner. And when Charles said we went too far, the we did include Lewis. So sorry, Team LH, Chuck was lumping your man in there too. And it wasn't a clear cut battle with the pundits either. And yes, the Parabolica incident, that is a separate question. Him describing a difference in power delivery between the opening laps. Now, I don't know whether that explains the accident or established that Hamilton rattled him into the wall. Yeah, but at least his engine is okay for Madrid. That suspected 60G crash, it was only 23G. That is still a pretty major wallop, but at least his engine might make it through Madrid. There's still a little bit of a question mark there. Remember the cracked gearbox of Monaco 2021. And also, Hamilton's recovery drive from 9th place to 6th place, it's not a case of, oh, Ferrari simply ruined it. And also, him not coming in during the virtual safety car either, because even Hamilton has gone on to admit that he doesn't really see any scenario where changing his tyres would have actually resulted in a higher place anyway, or even a home podium. And let's be real. He also admitted, and Fred admitted, that their rivals were just simply quicker. Even Max Verstappen was quicker than Hamilton on the day. And Vercers did then go on to admit that just maintaining track position was better because overtaking was very difficult for the team. And I can easily imagine that many of the Tifosi are absolutely cringing at that, because Monza's meant to be a place where you can overtake more easily than at some other circuits. And this also had the brand new ADU02 engine in it. And yet, according to Fred, it was still hard for them to overtake. And besides, overtaking cars, that really doesn't settle the Ferrari debate now, does it? But where Fred definitely holds responsibility is how he's able to convey to the drivers what they can expect from one another. Because Hamilton was criticising the rules in engagement for the fact that, well, according to him, there weren't any. And he said that the buck starts with the team principle. And then came the championship question. Asked about priority, Lewis said, well, it's too late for that now. While the boss defended why one hadn't been chosen. That's the disagreement with teeth right there. He wanted Lewis' earlier commitment to Ferrari's strongest championship chance, which just so happened to be himself. There's your culture clash. The attraction of building around a leading driver against the commitment to giving both a chance. Now, this feels familiar, but we'll get to that in a moment. In any case, the fight going on right now is over when equality gives the way to priority. And you want to know who the boss was citing regarding his idea of maintaining equality for as long as possible? It was only McLaren's championship efforts last year. And many of you are probably just tearing your hair out at the idea that papaya rules could maybe now lead to Ferrari Corso rules or Rosso rules. But yeah, I know you can learn from a rival, but you can't just take lock, stock and barrel the principle of papaya rules and just give them a whole lick of paint. Because this is Ferrari. And besides, keeping both your drivers in the hunt in the championship race does not mean that you've sorted out the incident in that singular race. Remember all of the stuff that we were talking about around Zandvoort, the dilly-dallying regarding team orders and when to let drivers through, because that ended up nobbling both Leclerc's and Hamilton's races. I've already gone on about it in previous videos, yet it seems that Monza from Zandvoort, they didn't learn a thing. When their immediate situations come into conflict, as in they meet on track, yet they have different strategies, there has to be a call made. So here's a question I'd like to leave for you in the comments. Should Ferrari prioritize the current championship contender or should they indeed keep their options open as long as possible until it becomes mathematically impractical to maintain equality? And please don't just back Lewis or Shah because they're your respective points. I really want to know the hard facts, as in what you really think about this from an objective point of view. Because if you don't do that, that's just leading to tribalism. Tribalism these days is just really no good for anyone. It just means that your comments won't really count for much Dolce Zulish, and Ferrari already knows the shortcomings of the small print because, as I pointed out in my previous video, there is Baku. Shah let Lewis through so Hamilton could use his tyre advantage to attack ahead. When it didn't work, Ferrari asked for the position back, but the return swap wasn't completed before the finish line, Hamilton acknowledging a misjudgment and Vasseur accepted that explanation. It was, to them, a botched instruction. But that doesn't establish though that Lewis deliberately refused to obey, as many have supposed. But still, imagine you're Shah and you cross the line and in that moment you expect two points, but then you're like, what the hell? You can't offer a temporary sacrifice, Ferrari, and then discover the receipt says they're all the same. But one thing, Fred, I just have to tell you is that asking a driver to move over to help out the consequences of a singular race does not equate to it being a be-all and end-all regarding their championship prospects. They're not the same thing. And Ferrari needs to be clear what it exactly wants in that moment. Back in the days of Jean Tan, when he told Rubens, let Michael pass for the championship, Rubens, please. Instead, Fred can go, if you just let Lewis win the race, that will help him out in that moment, but we are still believing in your championship efforts. As in, they just need to clarify it and I think they might get a little bit more compliance because if they don't do that, the driver is going to be thinking all the time, am I yielding right now just to help in the moment? Or does this mean I am now officially the number two Ferrari driver? And I don't think Charles knowing Fred since the days of Saba will give him any reassurance in any of that. And by the way, if you're enjoying these really gritty and awkward details, do drop down a subscribe and maybe consider out my Patreon since it does keep the ladder down and me up it, all starting at a buck, link below, because now we're going to be talking about the gabners. Because you see, Lewis has described organisational proposals and meetings involving Fred Vasseur, the chairman John Elkin, and chief executive Benedetto Vigna. These discussions going back as far as last year and whilst I don't like the idea of management meddling with the racing efforts of Ferrari, something that Enzo Ferrari loathed and kept very distant for six decades, Lewis does have a way to argue for change at the top, with Monza another result to point out. And I think this might actually give his arguments some legs because let's not forget, yeah, Kimi Antonelli, an Italian, won the race, the first Italian to do so in 60 years, but Ferrari, they held the majority of the fans' hearts there and they saw their team make an absolute fool of themselves. So Lewis in his discussions with Elkin and Vigna and Vasseur, he gave his arguments, I think, a major shot in the arm to just point to Charles and say, well, look at all of this. I did my thing. I was fighting for position. I wanted to try and get back at the Mercedes, but look at all of this and what happened, all because my boy Fred doesn't have the authority to do what he really wants to do. Now, okay, we do have to bring in the span of time because indeed the consequences of these meetings might be temporarily beneficial for Fred because it might give him the just cause to maybe think about the championship after all. It might just give him that little bit more oomph. He wouldn't have to keep protecting both drivers' opportunities all the time in every waking moment. He could also just point at the management to say, well, don't make the rules. This is a Ferrari championship policy. It's got nothing to do with my own personal opinion. This is just coming from the top. And all of this being said with two people that he knows really, really well from when they were boys. And maybe this is what Hamilton wants as well, just a little bit of clarity. But consider what that could mean. Hamilton could want his old boss in power to make the calls he believes Ferrari keeps postponing. But I think Lewis hasn't gone about this the right way. By naming Fred publicly, it's put him under the spotlight with the seven-time champion demanding improvement overtly. And trying to strengthen your team principal can also make him vulnerable when the chairman may start to ask more probing questions. And let's just say Hamilton's caused more PR fires to spread with this outburst. Yet Fred can't hide behind the reunion story either because Hamilton, he is designed for the likes of Dior and he has his own plethora of philanthropic ventures in multiple avenues, including Sten. Meanwhile, you've got the likes of Sean Leclerc setting up his own clothing collection. Then there's a Ferrari clothing collection, as well as him having his own ice cream business and sponsoring eight sleep mattresses and stuff like that. Let's just say that these men, they are involved with things outside of the garage. They are known as influencers in their own right, and they have plenty of influence. Tens of millions of followers who just wait on their beck and call and their whims and wants. And Charles finds himself in a business where telling people to cool down has suddenly become really, really profitable and delicious. Maybe Ferrari might actually want to partake in some samples of his. And yes, for some of you, me talking about their outside ventures might make your hair curl, though it's got nothing to do with Formula 1. But I'm just trying to say that Fred, him thinking that he can treat these two exactly the same as he did when they were rookies, that's just not possible anymore. These two men are businessmen. They are very shrewd men. They are very calculating men. They are very wary men. These are men they have to give multiple assurances to to make sure they are not being screwed over. Fred could easily say, well, don't worry, I know how to handle him. Well, I would love to see how he would be able to handle them the moment he decides to disappoint them in public. The overt reaction that their fans might be giving him, I mean, it could go really, really far. This might be a bit of a side effect that Ferrari didn't really account for when they signed on Lewis in the first place. Because yeah, you can get millions and millions of likes and more interest in your company by putting Lewis in that car, especially finding out that old barn finder, that F40, that just so happened to have a chassis number 44. Oh no, engine number 44, sorry. But equally, it also comes with a lot of scrutiny and eyeballs on every single thing you do. You didn't really think about that now, did you? It's an unfortunate side effect, Ferrari. And besides familiarity, that's not made the competitive efforts of both of these men suddenly disappear as in, oh, I can't do that because I know Fred, he's my guy. No, we don't get any of that. Right now, the former mentor is being challenged by the established champion and the long-term driver. There's a little bit of Vader and Obi-Wan in all of that, but let's hope this version ends with a more productive debrief. Because Lewis asking for decisive leadership creates an obligation of his own. Suppose Ferrari agrees a clearer sporting policy and Schaal has a stronger opportunity in a moment when it next applies and Hamilton's told to make the sacrifice, Fred doing what Lewis asked for. Now, I'm not saying that Lewis has to like it and lump it. He doesn't even have to publicly go, oh yes, absolutely, boss, I'm gonna do it. He can grumble all he likes over the radio, but he still has to do it. He has to comply or else his entire argument over these last few months is all for naught. It would be venturing into hypocrisy territory. And the same applies to Leclerc when Hamilton has the stronger case. If there are rules for engagement, they have to be followed by both of them. And Ferrari's history gives us a very useful reminder about how two very influential peoples and ones that are very, very involved in Ferrari's own emotional story can make it work. Remember all the stuff with Felipe Masson and Kimi Räikkönen in 2007 and 2008. When both men, respectively, were in the hunt for the championship, the other acquiesced and helped them out. Massa with Räikkönen in 2007 and Räikkönen with Massa in 2008. These two men were mighty. And in 08, Räikkönen was the champion and he just bent over backwards and was like, don't worry, I'm going to help out my buddy Felipe. It's not skin off my nose, okay? These were very ambitious men, especially Felipe in 2008 against Lewis Hamilton. It just showed that they could put their own differences aside and think of the team. And this was not long after Michael Schumacher retired from the sport and he was still involved in Ferrari affairs in varying degrees, either at the garage or still being called upon as a consultant. Michael was still around the Ferrari Yoku sphere at the time and it proved very, very workable. But the question might end up being when one opportunity takes precedence and Fred might've waited a little bit too long for that. But equally, Lewis shouldn't accept poor management forever to prove that he's a team player and neither should Charles. But Monza's miserable result doesn't prove that prioritising Hamilton earlier would have prevented it. Experience earns Lewis a hearing but it doesn't mean he can take credit for all of this. If he wants something like the Schumacher model, the test will be whether his proposed changes make the whole team stronger. And if he can keep his misgivings going forward private and not rely on public outcry to get his own way. And this is where the Elkin senior leadership become really crucial. They can back a justified sporting decision even when a driver objects or they can turn every objection into yet another negotiation. If there is proper change, will Fred be able to settle things down on his own, smooth things over and everything's hunky-dory? Are we going to get every single argument being punted up to Wienia and Elkin and us just having yet another round of negotiations and yet more speculation as to whether or not Fred's job is safe? And yes, I know, he's got a contract extension next year, but this is Ferrari. Yeah, Ferrari. Ferrari contracts. Ferrari! Which is why I am really careful regarding anything to do with Fred's job. Because the race recently reported senior dissatisfaction with Monza's optics and raised whether it could trigger a review of his position. Now that doesn't establish that a review has begun and if they do wind up with a new name on the office door, many reckon it might be Ferrari's WEC chief or even Christian Horner, the team still will have two drivers expecting their ambitions to be heard. Right now, Ferrari needs to decide how much authority the TP actually has to be able to think about Ferrari's own prospects instead of having to temper the whims and wants of their own drivers because if they have not been able to ascertain a thing and they drop Fred, then congratulations, Scuderia, you've just provided yet another repeat because whoever takes charge will then just have to inherit the same old problem. Madrid might be able to give us an explanation as to if anything has changed since Monza, but having said that though, even though Lewis thinks that he has been heard and Ferrari has been receptive, he doesn't really expect any major change to occur until after the likes of Madrid. So think around, ironically, Baku. So I think the best thing to do is just watch for what happens when there might be another situation that we saw around here and of course around the likes of Zandvoort and then Miami last year and then Baku last year, you know, when team orders have to come into play and the drivers might be contemplating their own future. Are they the number one or number two? No, Ferrari's trying their best with Vasseur in charge to make sure that no, you are both number ones, but maybe with Ferrari, that just doesn't work. That model, Fred, sorry, it's just not transferable. What are my thoughts on all of this? Well, I think Lewis has earned the right to make himself third, but he has definitely not earned the right to get carte blanche around the Scuderia. He can't expect everything that he wants right now. It's just not possible or feasible and Fred also needs to show that he can commit to helping out both drivers without having to make a decision about either of them and then when it comes to orders where Charles definitely has to yield, he has to be given credible terms in that he is willing to let things through to ensure that he is not being trodden over and for Lewis, he just might have to accept that sometimes Charles might be the stronger driver, but it ain't personal, Lewis. And if he finds that unacceptable, Lewis, then all of his calls for change will suddenly metamorphose into basically him just wanting personal priority as in he just wants it his way. He doesn't want real change at Ferrari and their shared past with Fred won't settle any of this, I think. And knowing them from when they were boys is not the same as leading them when they are men. Hamilton's pressure could give Fred the backing to make a harder choice. Yeah, but it might also leave him carrying the blame if that choice fails. So asking Fred to lead has to include accepting where he takes you, even when the car he waves through belongs to your teammate. Now I'm publicly aiming my finger over here to this video, which I know you will enjoy. I'll just go and freshen myself up and I'll be right with you.