Hamilton backs Vasseur but questions Ferrari's upper management structure

Lewis Hamilton voiced support for Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur at the Bahrain Grand Prix, but stopped short of giving the wider organisation a clean bill of health, pointing instead to the layers of management sitting above the Frenchman as a potential area for review.

The comments came after a difficult stretch for the Scuderia in 2026. Ferrari’s power unit deficit — Hamilton estimates it costs the team at least a tenth of a second per lap in straight-line speed, and sometimes as much as six tenths — has allowed Mercedes to build a 160-point lead in the constructors’ championship. Hamilton himself has slipped out of second place in the drivers’ standings, and questions over team orders between him and Charles Leclerc have added to the pressure on Vasseur.

Ferrari’s chief communications officer Maria Conti had already moved to steady the ship at the end of September, telling reporters the organisation had “confidence — full confidence — in Fred Vasseur and in his team.” Hamilton, drawing on 12 years racing under Toto Wolff at Mercedes, echoed that sentiment when asked how important a strong management structure is to a title-contending team.

“Structure I think is very important and definitely stability and ultimately having everyone row in the same direction. I think that’s key, probably in any business,” Hamilton said.

Asked directly whether everyone around and above Vasseur was pulling in the same direction, Hamilton was quick to defend his long-time colleague: “I think Fred has the full backing.” But pressed further on whether Ferrari’s structure genuinely supports that, he offered a more nuanced assessment.

“Fred is a fantastic leader. He really is about to take this team in the right direction. However, there is a structure that’s been there for some time, whether or not that needs looking at moving forwards. There are obviously also people above Fred,” Hamilton said, deliberately shifting focus to the higher levels of the Ferrari hierarchy.

“It’s not about one person. Fred has led the team — he’s helped make changes this past year. He’s helped us get to second in the constructors’ championship. That’s a huge step from last year.”

Hamilton was equally direct about the root cause of Ferrari’s current struggles. “The deficit we have is simply just on engine and that’s something we don’t shy away from. We know that every weekend we carry a full tenth deficit, if not sometimes six tenths just in straight-line power. And we’re aware of it.”

The remarks place Hamilton in a delicate position: publicly loyal to Vasseur, yet willing to signal that the problems at Ferrari may run deeper than the team principal’s office.