Ferrari president John Elkann is reported to have intervened following tensions between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, as former Scuderia figures warn that the team’s problems extend far beyond its drivers.
Ferrari’s internal tensions have reportedly reached the highest levels of the company, with president John Elkann said to have demanded a firmer approach to managing Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc following their controversial battle at the Mexican Grand Prix.
According to Italian publication Autoracer, Elkann has personally instructed team principal Fred Vasseur to remind both drivers that Ferrari’s interests must take precedence over their individual ambitions.
The reported intervention follows an increasingly public disagreement between Hamilton and Leclerc, whose on-track rivalry in Mexico sparked criticism and prompted Vasseur to bring the pair together in an attempt to ease tensions.
Ferrari’s senior management is understood to have been particularly unhappy with the subsequent media fallout, amid concerns that the public exchanges were damaging the Scuderia’s image.
The message from the top is reportedly straightforward: competition between the drivers cannot be allowed to undermine the team’s collective objectives.
Ferrari’s problems extend beyond its driver rivalry
While the Hamilton-Leclerc situation has attracted considerable attention, several former Ferrari figures believe the team’s difficulties run considerably deeper.
Felipe Massa points to long-standing weaknesses
Former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa believes the current tensions are only one part of a much broader problem that has prevented the Italian team from returning to championship-winning form.
Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Brazilian, who raced for Ferrari between 2006 and 2013, suggested that the team has been missing crucial ingredients for several years.
“Something is still missing, and that has been the case for many years now,” Massa said.
Ferrari’s last Drivers’ Championship came with Kimi Räikkönen in 2007, while its most recent Constructors’ Championship was secured in 2008.
“It’s difficult to imagine that 20 years have passed,” Massa added.
“Something is missing to get back to having the fastest car and the most efficient team possible.”
Despite those concerns, Massa takes a relatively relaxed view of the rivalry between Hamilton and Leclerc.
He believes the two drivers should be allowed to race each other freely while Ferrari is not directly involved in a fight for the world championship.
His position contrasts with those calling for stricter internal discipline.
Former Ferrari engineer delivers blunt warning to Hamilton
Luigi Mazzola demands stronger leadership from Vasseur
Former Ferrari engineer Luigi Mazzola has taken a considerably tougher stance, directing particular criticism towards Hamilton’s recent conduct.
While acknowledging the seven-time world champion’s achievements, Mazzola questioned some of his public positions and warned against allowing individual personalities to overshadow the team.
“Arrogance never pays, even when it comes from a world champion like him,” Mazzola said.
“Hats off to him for everything he has achieved throughout his career, but at the moment he is taking certain positions, both on and off the track.”
Mazzola believes Vasseur must establish clear boundaries and ensure that both drivers understand the consequences of failing to respect the team’s rules.
“Ferrari is more important than the two drivers,” he insisted.
“He must enforce certain rules and, if someone does not respect them, there must be consequences.”
His comments reinforce the wider debate surrounding Ferrari’s management of two highly competitive drivers, both determined to establish themselves within the team.
Schumacher questions Ferrari’s driver line-up ahead of 2027
Antonelli and Verstappen comparisons add to the pressure
The criticism has extended beyond Ferrari’s internal management, with former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher questioning whether Hamilton and Leclerc have delivered the maximum possible results from the team’s 2026 machinery.
Speaking as a pundit for Sky Deutschland, Schumacher suggested that Ferrari could have achieved more this season with Kimi Antonelli or Max Verstappen behind the wheel.
“I think Ferrari knows it would have won a few more races this year if it had had Kimi Antonelli or Max Verstappen in the car,” Schumacher claimed.
The German went further in his assessment of how Ferrari’s current pairing might compare with those drivers in 2027.
“Kimi Antonelli is going to run rings around Leclerc and Hamilton, that’s obvious, and Max Verstappen will probably do the same.”
Those remarks represent Schumacher’s personal assessment rather than an established comparison of the drivers’ performances.
Nevertheless, they add to the scrutiny facing Ferrari as it looks towards another season of intense competition.
Ferrari faces a leadership challenge
The reported intervention from Elkann, combined with criticism from former Ferrari figures, highlights the competing pressures facing Vasseur.
Massa believes the team’s priority should be addressing the technical and organisational weaknesses that have prevented it from consistently challenging for championships.
Mazzola, by contrast, sees stronger internal discipline as essential to ensuring that driver rivalries do not distract from Ferrari’s wider objectives.
Schumacher’s assessment raises a separate question about whether the current driver pairing is extracting enough performance from the machinery available.
For Ferrari, the challenge is therefore not simply to manage Hamilton and Leclerc’s competitive relationship, but to build an organisation capable of returning to championship contention.
With expectations already turning towards 2027, Vasseur must find a way to balance the ambitions of two established drivers with the interests of a team still searching for its next world title.
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