Lewis Hamilton's F1 boss admits relationship with Ferrari team-mate needs focus

Ferrari F1 boss Fred Vasseur has admitted the relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc needs work heading into the 2026 campaign.

Hamilton joined Leclerc at the Scuderia at the start of 2025 hoping to hit the ground running in Maranello ahead of new regulations in 2026.

But as the latest F1 regulations cycle approaches and Hamilton waves goodbye to the ground effect era he struggled so desperately with, there are still many question marks over his compatibility with Ferrari.

In a recent interview, team principal Vasseur admitted he had underestimated Hamilton's challenge of moving to Ferrari from Mercedes, a sentiment he has not been shy of sharing with the media before.

Vasseur requests Ferrari duo to work together for 2026

Speaking to Sky Sports Italia ahead of his team's fresh start in 2026, Vasseur also shared his opinion that there is still work to be done between his driver duo.

When asked whether he would be keeping quiet over his expectations for the new year during the current F1 winter break, Vasseur said: "Honestly, it's a different approach. Last year, when you started the season, you had the image of Abu Dhabi 2024. This year, however, no one knows.

“We can spend time discussing, strategising or talking about others, but the truth is that we don't know."

Vasseur's reluctance to predict the competitive order for 2026 has also been adopted by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, with both team principal's stating that only time will tell how each team has handled the preparations for the new era.

While some teams like Aston Martin will be spending the first months of 2026 focusing on technical aspects now that Honda and Adrian Newey are on board, Vasseur appears to believe that the key to success is still held by the people at Ferrari.

"I don't want to waste energy doing that [talking about expectations]" Vasseur said.

"I want to focus on the team, on developing the car, on the collaboration between Lewis and Charles, and try to get the best out of what we have."

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