Why the Ferrari intra-team rows are a nonsense
The gloves are off in the Ferrari F1 garage as Lewis Hamilton upped the ante after a disappointing home race weekend for the Scuderia. The seven-time champion was pushing a narrative coming into the weekend that the Italian squad were not working properly as a team.
This was based on events which occurred the last time out in Zandvoort, when the team delayed a decision to instruct Charles Leclerc to allow Hamilton through because he had a tyre advantage. The Monegasque driver inadvertently revealed this had led to intense debates back at Maranello, stating after the chequered flag in Monza: “I mean, honestly, Zandvoort, there were way too many talks already.”
Turn 1 Chaos and Fuming Radio Messages
The incident which sparked the latest Ferrari tensions occurred on lap one in Monza, Turn 1, where Lewis Hamilton attempted an opportunistic move on his teammate. The pair started on the second row of the grid, with Leclerc having the advantage of being P3.
Keen to press an advantage over his teammate, Hamilton attempted to pass the sister Ferrari on the inside of Turn 1. This quickly became the outside of Turn 2, and Lewis was squeezed by Leclerc to the edge of the track and onto the gravel, losing six places.
Hamilton claimed over team radio, “Charles pushed me off,” before adding in a threatening manner, “We are definitely going to have it on after this race.” Clearly, Lewis was referring to what he felt was unresolved business in the post-Zandvoort talks.
Of course, Formula One drivers say things in the heat of battle they later retract, but this was not the case with Hamilton. Speaking to the written media after the chequered flag in Monza, he pressed the issue further.
“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,” said Hamilton, clearly implying the team boss needed to take Charles Leclerc and his engineers to task. “I mean, 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.”
Hamilton then went on the offensive with team boss Frédéric Vasseur. “You have to speak to Fred [Vasseur] about the other side and the decisions that are taken there, but I’ll keep pushing and trying to get more from the team and from our car and from the engineers and design and everything like that,” he concluded. Again, the suggestion is that Vasseur is weak and incapable of keeping proper order within the Ferrari F1 team.
A Mathematical Pipe Dream
Yet why Hamilton is pressing so hard to be recognised as the Ferrari official challenger for the 2026 drivers’ title is bemusing. He began the weekend some 59 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli with little realistic hope of challenging for the championship. He is now a remote 76 points behind Antonelli and out of the running for the drivers’ title.
Ferrari brought their second and final engine upgrade to Monza this weekend, and it was found to be wanting. Mercedes will bring theirs around the time of the United States Grand Prix and will only extend the current advantage over Ferrari, which was 10 km/h through the speed gun in Monza.
In Formula One history, there have been bitter rivalries within teams that have exploded in public view. Yet most of these are due to both drivers being in the best car by far and fighting for the world championship.
Hamilton has been part of two angst-ridden intra-team battles: firstly with Fernando Alonso at McLaren, where both lost out to Kimi Räikkönen by a single point, and then with Nico Rosberg at Mercedes, his once-best friend during their karting years.
History Repeating Itself
Yet Hamilton consistently upping the ante at Ferrari makes no sense. Charles Leclerc just signed a contract extension which will see him with the team long after Lewis Hamilton has retired from the sport. Clearly, the top brass at the Scuderia see Leclerc as their long-term future, and maybe this niggles Hamilton—who knows his days are numbers.
The incidents this season between the Ferrari drivers are minor when compared to previously heated teammate rivalries, and with Lewis having a contract for a third year with the Scuderia, his position is clearly not under threat.
Ferrari team boss Frédéric Vasseur has maintained a pragmatic position over his drivers having parity as they go racing each weekend, and once again his response to Hamilton upping the ante was equally grounded. He observed that this time last year, McLaren were under pressure to establish Oscar Piastri as their number-one driver over Lando Norris, and had they done so, it would have likely handed the drivers’ title to Max Verstappen.
“Piastri was leading McLaren at this stage of the season [in 2025] and if McLaren put everything on Piastri, Max Verstappen would have been champion,” said the Ferrari boss in the paddock after the completion of the Italian Grand Prix. Yet the comparison is moot in reality, given Leclerc is 36 points behind Lewis Hamilton.
It appears there will now be more lengthy talks in Maranello with the two Ferrari drivers, although Hamilton is unlikely to get his way, given most of the pundits in Monza suggested he was overly aggressive with the move on his teammate into Turn 1, which initiated the heated debate over who was right and wrong.
For now, Hamilton is clearly facing the reality he will never claim that record eighth drivers’ championship, and his unrealistic demands on the team could be a reaction to that crushing realisation.
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A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
