The AUDACIOUS F1 move that could see Lewis Hamilton become Ferrari team principal

Lewis Hamilton

The AUDACIOUS move that could see Lewis Hamilton become Ferrari team principal

Lewis Hamilton has already taken charge at Ferrari

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 5 August 2025 13:12 Updated: 16:27

Between Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari crunch meetings and Charles Leclerc calling the strategy shots in qualifying, the pair might as well be running the team at the moment!

Hamilton and Leclerc are more than just drivers, they’re spearheading the team's changes and trackside success. Which makes you wonder; what was the point of Fred Vasseur’s contract extension if the team needs to take direction from their drivers? Perhaps they should just name Hamilton team principal and be done with it!

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Hamilton recently organised key meetings with senior Ferrari figures, suggesting structural changes and ensuring his own direct involvement with the 2026 car. While his involvement feels necessary to return Ferrari to their winning ways, it is difficult to imagine Adrian Newey letting Lance Stroll into his office and having a go at designing a car with his magic pencil.

In fact, Hamilton's hands-on role feels more akin to a team principal than a driver, and it's certainly hard to imagine many other drivers operating within their team with so much authority.

So, why are Hamilton and Leclerc having to adopt the qualities of a team principal at Ferrari?

Did Vasseur deserve contract extension?

Perhaps, this is all part of Vasseur’s wider strategy. Allowing Hamilton to take command of the team and transform their operations into a championship winning outfit. After all, he does have seven world titles and intel from his title winning years at Mercedes to carry in his favour.

However, if Hamilton manages to make more of an impact in his first year with Ferrari than Vasseur's entire time as a leader, it begs the question what kind of impact the Frenchman is even having on the team. Vasseur has led Ferrari since 2023, but Ferrari’s strategy department is still laughable and the source of their anguish most race weekends.

During qualifying at the Hungarian GP, Leclerc only entered the fight for pole position because of the decision he made in Q2 to ensure he set a time fast enough to progress into Q3.

With seven minutes to go in Q2, Leclerc voiced his concerns on the radio and put in a firm request with his team, where he said: "Focus, please, on one thing, which is to go out as soon as possible. I don't care about anything else. I want the least cars possible out the exit of the pit lane."

While this approach could have been deemed risky by the team, with Leclerc potentially missing out on the best conditions due to track evolution, the driver's own expertise sealed his spot in Q3, and thus his pole position for the Hungarian GP.

Fred Vasseur has been given a Ferrari contract extension

Each F1 team operates differently, and perhaps Hamilton and Leclerc prefer to maintain this level of control. However, is this just because of a basic lack of trust in the team in the first place? And if so, isn’t it on Vasseur to admit he hasn’t maximised his role as team principal by repairing the weakest parts of Ferrari's operations?

Look. Every F1 team needs a boss, it simply wouldn’t work if a driver split their responsibilities between the two roles - this isn't the 1960s! Yet, this is precisely the problem at Ferrari. The drivers are having to focus on more than just driving and going faster! It's Vasseur's job to sort out all the rest!

When you compare this to the slick operations of McLaren with Zak Brown and Andrea Stella confidently leading the team, it really pulls Ferrari's flaws into focus.

Hamilton and Leclerc are not just drivers anymore. They are part-time strategists, team leaders and advisors, and the role of team principal seems to be split between three. Maybe that's what it takes to restore championship glory to Ferrari's name? You can only hope, for Vasseur's sake, that Hamilton and Leclerc's involvement materialises into an imperious alliance for the future.

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Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

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Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Charles Leclerc Adrian Newey Lance Stroll Fred Vasseur