Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has addressed the controversy surrounding the team’s strategy decisions at the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, particularly the handling of drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc during the race.
The incident, which drew attention due to Hamilton’s audible frustration over team radio, saw the seven-time world champion hindered by running in the turbulent air behind teammate Leclerc despite having fresher tires.
“I can understand the frustration of the guys in the car, but at the end it was well executed because Lewis was behind Charles. He was with the softer compound.
“We let him go. And then, as per a rule within the team, we swapped back at the end. I think we let the chance for Lewis to go in front of Charles but it was impossible to overtake between them if we don’t let them go. And I think it was the opportunity for Lewis to catch up [Kimi] Antonelli and I think we did a good job.”
Early in the race, Hamilton, operating on an alternate tire strategy, struggled to utilize his advantage due to delays in the team swapping positions. Hamilton had expressed clear frustration, recalling the previous Chinese Grand Prix where he swiftly allowed Leclerc past under similar circumstances.
When asked about Hamilton’s annoyance specifically with the delay in strategy, he said the following:
“Yeah, for sure. But you need to understand in this situation if you are faster than the car in front of you because you have the DRS or if you have the pace. And, uh, we took one lap to take a decision and then one lap to apply the decision.”
Ferrari eventually instructed Leclerc to allow Hamilton through, enabling him to attempt chasing down Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. However, with Leclerc benefiting from DRS behind Antonelli, the team reversed their decision, prompting another swap which drew a notably sarcastic response from Hamilton.
Race engineer Riccardo Adami’s instructions to swap positions once more were met with Hamilton’s disbelief, questioning the logic of Ferrari’s strategic calls. Vasseur acknowledged that communication needed to be clearer and more timely in critical race situations.
Ferrari faces mounting pressure to ensure clearer communication and strategic decisiveness to support their drivers effectively as the season progresses.
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