Lewis Hamilton is walking a dangerous line with Ferrari criticism: 'They have never liked this'

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton is walking a dangerous line with Ferrari criticism: 'They have never liked this'

It's been a tough few weeks for the seven-time champion

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson F1 Editor

Motorsport journalist covering F1 since 2024

Wednesday 9 September 2026 18:45

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A leading F1 insider says Lewis Hamilton could be walking a dangerous line at Ferrari after his post-race comments at the Italian Grand Prix.

Monza proved to be another difficult outing for Hamilton, getting into an early scuffle with team-mate Charles Leclerc, after which he was only able to finish P6 come the black-and-white chequered flag.

That meant the seven-time champion lost even more ground on championship leader Kimi Antonelli, with the young Italian now holding a 76-point advantage over the experienced Brit.

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After what went down, Hamilton's disappointment was clear for all to hear, with the seven-time champion making his feelings very clear to Ferrari.

"Ultimately, it comes from the top," said Hamilton. "It trickles down the decisions, and so it starts with Fred [Vasseur]. There's only so much you can say, so much you can push and shout from the mountain top."

Hamilton also added: "We've got to change things, because this is not helping us to move forward."

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F1 insider: Ferrari have never liked this

Reacting to Hamilton's post-race comments on social media, experienced F1 journalist Javier Rubio has even suggested that the Ferrari star is walking a dangerous line.

"Has Lewis Hamilton crossed a line with Ferrari that Ferrari has not usually allowed other drivers to cross in the past?" Rubio questioned. "This weekend, on Saturday, he said, 'We have to start thinking about prioritising in order to try to catch Antonelli', and logically he was talking about him because he is ahead of him in the standings.

"But on Sunday he said many things, and among them he pointed at Vasseur, saying that, starting with Vasseur at the top, everything filters down, as if he were asking Vasseur to make decisions that Ferrari has not made. Or that he has to make, because he was saying that the results, if we do the same thing, will always be the same."

Rubio continued, citing Fernando Alonso's previous struggles at the Scuderia in the past when taking a similar approach.

"But this weekend has been harsh, in kind words, always wrapped in empathy towards Ferrari’s management," he continued. "What is Ferrari going to do now? What is Vasseur going to do? What is Leclerc going to think? If your teammate is already telling you that you are the one who has to lead the team.

"At Ferrari, they have never liked this in the past. Remember the problems Fernando Alonso had when he tried to pull the team forward, because a driver wants to motivate, wants to push, wants to improve, and is somewhat of a leader."

Lewis Hamilton's comments put Ferrari TP Fred Vasseur under pressure

Ferrari dislike public criticism

Ferrari, Rubio claims, have never liked public criticism, and instead prefer to keep their conflicts internal.

"Ferrari has never liked its drivers putting themselves above the team, being more, with criticism from outside being part of the driver’s game, and what they want is for everything to remain internal," he explained.

"They always tell you beforehand at Ferrari, this is the team, not the driver. So what is Fred Vasseur going to do now with this positioning from Hamilton?

"Hamilton feels very supported at the top, not only because of his titles, but within the Ferrari hierarchy, to speak like this. Let’s see what happens in the coming days, but Vasseur does not have an easy role now."

All eyes are now on Madrid for the Spanish Grand Prix, and whether Hamilton's comments spark a change of approach within Ferrari.