Lewis Hamilton gives Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur his strongest backing yet

[Abbie46]

Lewis Hamilton has delivered his strongest public support yet for Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur, amid speculation about Vasseur's future. Hamilton said Vasseur is the guy to lead the team and is doing a fantastic job. He also hit back at critics, saying that if people want to point fingers, they should point them somewhere else. Coming from a seven time champion, that carries real weight

The rumours have been building since former Red Bull boss Christian Horner expressed interest in leading Ferrari. Vasseur's contract was extended in July last year, but that has not stopped the speculation. Hamilton pointed out how much more stable Ferrari has been under Vasseur compared with its history of frequent changes, saying that swapping him out would not help the team move forward and could even be harmful. Ferrari's history of constant change backs up his point

Charles Leclerc also backed his boss. He said it was not nice for people to start rumours whenever there is something the team could have done slightly better, and stressed that Vasseur has the full support of the team. Having both drivers come out so clearly sends a strong message. Drivers rarely line up this clearly behind their boss

Interestingly, Hamilton hinted that he does see a need for change, just not at team principal level. He said there are changes he would make but would not say what they are, suggesting the issues sit with people above Vasseur. He also put Ferrari's recent struggles, with five races without a podium, largely down to a power deficit of around 0.4 to 0.6 seconds in straight line speed every weekend, while insisting the car itself is very strong and Ferrari is well placed in the constructors' standings

It is quite a pointed intervention from Hamilton, who rarely gets involved in team politics so publicly. Is he right that Vasseur is the man for the job? Who do you think he means when he talks about changes above the team principal? And would Horner at Ferrari ever work?

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