‘Ferrari comes first’: Vasseur confirms talks with Hamilton, Leclerc after their Mexico battle

Sao Paulo, Nov 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur has confirmed that he held talks with drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc after their Mexico Grand Prix battle ahead of the Sao Paulo GP in Brazil.

Vasseur spoke about the talks with the drivers, stating that the battles between Hamilton and Leclerc have been the result of "accumulated frustration" but made it clear that the team's interest lies in the top-most priority amidst the intra-team fights.

Hamilton and Leclerc had an opening lap battle at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit during the Mexico City GP where Ferrari lost what could have been a P1 and P2 finish. Hamilton, who started the main race on pole for the first time with Scuderia, was involved in a battle with teammate Leclerc, who cut the track off and was handed a five-second time penalty, while Hamilton was overtaken by eventual race-winner Max Verstappen.

The British driver came second, with Kimi Antonelli bagging third and securing a historic title, while Leclerc was further down, fourth at the end of the 71-lap race.

Vasseur confirmed that the talks took place after he returned from Europe ahead of the Brazilian GP. "We spoke yesterday evening because I had to fly back to Europe between the two races," Vasseur confirmed during Friday’s Team Representatives' press conference.

"It went well. It was good to discuss things and clarify my position and their positions. Now we turn the page and focus on the next one.

"I think they've accumulated a bit of frustration because they're starting each weekend side by side, and you have an accumulation of incidents. At the end of the day, the guidelines are always the same. They need to respect each other. They're two competitors with a fighting spirit, but they need to respect one another.

"Mainly, and firstly, they need to respect the brand, the team, the people working at home and the people working at the track. We're putting a lot of effort into this, and the message was clear and will stay clear," he added.

He added that the conclusion of the meeting remained that the team's interests are the top priority. "We failed collectively because we were one-two and didn't win the race in the end," the Ferrari boss added. "The conclusion of the meeting yesterday evening was clear. It was a reminder that Ferrari comes first, for the brand, for the employees and for the Tifosi."

He was also asked whether managing Hamilton and Leclerc together is proving to be a challenge for the team. To this, he pointed out that the team stays P2 in the constructors' championships despite having two closely matched drivers.

"For sure, we have two experienced, competitive guys," he said. "It's now four or five races in a row that we've been at the front, scoring the highest number of points after Monza and Madrid. You have an escalation because they both want to win races. I think that's probably the downside of the system. We have two competitive guys starting each weekend next to each other.

"But we are P2 today, because we have two guys who are very close, and we have to manage it. It's a choice in the line-up, and has positives and negatives. But I will deal with the negatives."

The Ferrari boss was also asked about the relationship between Hamilton and Leclerc within the team and about the Brit's comments of not staying silent after the Mexico incident.

"I was clear with Lewis, and I'll keep that between Lewis and myself," he responded.

"You can't compare the relationship between Carlos (Sainz) and Charles, Charles and Lewis, or Lewis and Valtteri (Bottas) in the past. They have different personalities.

"I'm not asking them to be best friends. I think that would probably even be a bit negative. I'm just asking them to act and work as professionals, and that's it."

Mercedes boss, Toto Wolff, who was also present at the presser, had a deja-vu of having managed Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in the past at Silver Arrows. "It's like déjà vu because you asked me exactly the same questions for so many years, and then Nico called it a day," Wolff said.

"Sometimes, when you put two strong drivers in, the best ones have edges and they want to win. That's a situation that's always very difficult to cope with, particularly under the media spotlight when those cars are racing at the front. I can relate to what Fred is going through at the moment.

"Sometimes it needs a really tough incident to make a point. When I was there with Nico and Lewis, whenever there was an accident, it was understood that this was the limit and it wouldn't continue like that.

"It's about respect for the team – the many thousands of people and the brand they work for. That's what they need to keep in their heads," he added.

Source: IANS