Vasseur fires back at Hamilton's rules demand and points to Mercedes: 'That does not reflect reality'

The Ferrari team principal took aim at the narrative that followed the first-lap clash between Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at the Italian Grand Prix. Hamilton had called for written 'rules of engagement' similar to what he had at Mercedes alongside Nico Rosberg, suggesting Ferrari lacked a clear framework for how its drivers race one another.

Vasseur was unequivocal in his response. "To say there are no 'rules of engagement' does not reflect reality. You cannot expect every possible scenario you might encounter on track to be written into the contracts, because inevitably everything would become a matter of interpretation," the Frenchman said, according to Motorsport.com. He insisted the principles already exist and that both drivers know them.

Perhaps the most pointed part of Vasseur's defence was a direct comparison to what happened at the other end of the Monza grid. Kimi Antonelli slid into the gravel at the Rettifilo chicane while battling teammate George Russell in the closing laps, yet that moment was treated as little more than a dramatic racing incident in a thrilling Mercedes 1-2 finish.

Vasseur drew a clear parallel: "Charles, after the discussion, said: 'I was too aggressive.' And for me, that's fine. When Kimi was fighting with Russell he ended up in the gravel, just as Lewis did at the start. But in our case, we moved very quickly from an incident on track to talking about a crisis in the way the drivers are being managed. I think the two things need to be kept in the proper perspective."

While Toto Wolff acknowledged that Antonelli's gravel excursion could have made Mercedes "look like idiots," the episode generated no crisis narrative around driver management at the Silver Arrows. Ferrari, Vasseur argues, is being held to a different standard, with Italian press questioning his leadership and speculation over his future intensifying within days of the race.

Vasseur also revealed a private conversation with Hamilton that paints a more nuanced picture of the Briton's post-race frustration. "Lewis told me: 'Fred, 80% of my message was positive and they took the 20% that was negative,'" Vasseur disclosed. "But we all know how it works. If you say the team is doing a good job and then add a 'but', that is the part that will become the headline. It's part of the game."

Hamilton's post-race comments at Monza dominated headlines for days, yet according to Vasseur, the driver himself acknowledged that the critical portion represented only a fraction of what he actually communicated. The Ferrari boss added that his drivers "are much calmer with us than they are when they go and speak to the press."

Hamilton, speaking in Madrid on Thursday ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, appeared to confirm the improved internal tone. "It's been really positive. I spoke to Fred on Monday and we just had a clear discussion," Hamilton said. He described the communication within the team as strong, adding that both he and Leclerc were able to "squash it and move on so nothing lingers."