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Reports from Italy have suggested that there is already a sense of divide in the Ferrari camp, as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are likely to be heading in very different directions with regards to the development of their respective cars. Team boss Fred Vasseur seems to be stuck in between a rock and a hard place, as he tries to manage his new all-star driver lineup.
When Lewis Hamilton joined Ferrari at the start of the 2025 season, most onlookers admitted that the Italian team now had arguably the best driver lineup on the grid. But a few questions were also raised over how the two popular personalities would gel together to pull the team in the right direction.
It seems as though Ferrari have already encountered their first impasse, after just three races in the 2025 season, as Charles Leclerc reportedly told his team during the Japanese Grand Prix that he wishes to go in a completely different direction to Lewis Hamilton with regards to the development of his car.
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Reputed Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport have reported that there is a split in the Ferrari camp, with Leclerc focused on tweaking his car to suit his style, Hamilton asking questions over having a car deficit to his teammate, and Vasseur focussing on finding the right balance for both cars before looking to bring further development packages.
Fulvio Solms, writing for the aforementioned outlet, reported on Tuesday that there is a definite difference in strategy between the two drivers, but also mentions how this is a normal thing to happen within an F1 team. He wrote:
"At this point, Ferrari is technically divided into two separate boxes - nothing dramatic: it happens very often in motorsport. Each of the two drivers will follow their own path, and Charles is convinced that with the right inputs he will be able to break away from a deficit situation (which however so far sees him in a position of superiority over Lewis). [via Corriere dello Sport] [Translated via Safari]
If this report is to be believed, it can be assumed that the two celebrities in the Ferrari garage have already clashed. Now, it remains to be seen whether this split in strategies will push the Prancing Horse in a singular and positive direction, or further tear the team into two.
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur shares start to the 2025 season has not been ideal
Ferrari chief Fred Vasseur has shared that the start to the 2025 F1 season has been less than ideal for the Italian team, as they come off yet another underwhelming performance at the Japanese GP, having been nowhere near the top of the field. The Frenchman also shared that he has full belief in his team to turn the situation around.
Speaking after the race at Suzuka on Sunday, Vasseur shared his thoughts about his team's start to the 2025 season.
"For sure it is not ideal and I would prefer to win the first one. But we don’t need to change the approach from last year as we are almost in the same situation, perhaps a bit worse in terms of pace, and the reaction of the team was very, very strong." [via formula1.com]
"We worked as a team, made small step by small step and we have to keep exactly the same approach, but for sure it is not ideal," he added.
Vasseur's team head into the fourth round of the 2025 season at Bahrain fourth in the Constructors' standings. They are already 76 points adrift from McLaren, who currently sit at top of the table.
