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FRED VASSEUR ENCOURAGES HAMILTON-LECLERC CRITICISM DESPITE ELKANN'S 'TALK LESS' DEMAND

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur is unfazed by public criticism from Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, calling their complaints a "positive dynamic" for improvement.

Fred Vasseur Encourages Hamilton-Leclerc Criticism Despite Elkann's 'Talk Less' Demand
Ferrari Boss Defends Leclerc, Hamilton Public Criticism

Ferrari's F1 boss, Fred Vasseur, isn't bothered by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton publicly criticizing the team, even though it annoyed John Elkann.

The 2025 season was a letdown for Ferrari. They didn't win any races and dropped to fourth in the championship, losing the 2024 title to McLaren on the last day.

Leclerc and Hamilton, who finished fifth and sixth in the driver standings, often showed their frustration in interviews. At the Brazilian Grand Prix, Hamilton said it was a nightmare after a double DNF.

Ferrari chairman Elkann criticized this negativity, saying the drivers need to focus on driving and talk less, which sparked a lot of debate.

But Vasseur doesn't care much about what the drivers say publicly. What matters to him are the conversations behind the scenes.

"I don't care about the reaction on TV," Vasseur said after Ferrari finished fourth and eighth at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

What's most important is having someone come back to us, pushing the team to improve and work together to get better results.

They're emotional sometimes on the radio, and it depends on the person. You all know Charles. He's always a bit critical of himself, the team, and everyone, but it's always in a positive way.

I've known Charles for 10 or 16 years, and he's always been like this. He's always complaining about everything. But it's a positive thing that pushes us to do a better job.

It doesn't matter if we're P4, P3, or P1. Our DNA is to do a better job. I'm okay with this, and the most important thing is that they keep the same approach to the debriefing: to get a better car, a better team, and a better everything. That's how we'll improve.

Vasseur even said he encourages his drivers to criticize the team because that's how Ferrari will get back to the top when the new rules come in next year.

"I'd be upset if the drivers told me we were doing a good job," he added. When a driver sums up the season, it's about finding where we can improve. I don't want drivers telling me, 'We're doing a good job on this, this, and this.'

Their DNA and my DNA is to push the team to do a better job. So, Charles and Lewis need to come to us and push the team to the limit in every area. We can improve everywhere.

Last year, we were fighting until the last corner, and the reaction was the same. Charles said, ‘Okay guys, we have to improve in every area: the simulator, the setup, and the aero.’

This is their job and our sport. I'm not shocked when they come to me and say, 'Fred, we have to improve on this, this, this, this, and this,' because that's what we're asking them to do.

THE 2026 ULTIMATUM: WHY NEXT SEASON IS "MAKE OR BREAK" FOR LEWIS HAMILTON

After a winless 2025 debut, Lewis Hamilton faces a pivotal year. See why Steiner believes the 7x champ is nearing the F1 exit.

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Hamilton’s exit clock is ticking

Guenther Steiner, who used to run the Haas team, thinks Lewis Hamilton might quit Formula 1 if Ferrari can't get to the top of the Driver's Championship by 2026—he thinks that season will be super important for the racing star.

Hamilton had a tough first year with Ferrari, ending up sixth in the F1 rankings with 156 points.

That was 86 points behind his teammate, Charles Leclerc, and he didn't even get on the podium once, which is a first for him in a full season.

He often said he was bummed out about how his Ferrari debut was going.

Back in November, after the Las Vegas Grand Prix, he told Sky Sports, I feel awful. This has been the worst season ever, and it just keeps getting worse no matter how hard I try. I'm trying everything I can, both in and out of the car.

Hamilton looked pretty sad a lot during the season because he couldn't really fight for race wins.

Steiner told Sports Krone, I think if Ferrari has a good car next season, Hamilton might be able to turn things around. If they are more competitive, Lewis might find his drive again. But if things stay the same, next season will probably be his last in Formula 1. He's not going to go through that again. The situation is tough for him, and you could see that in every interview. So, the next season will be key for him.

What's Hamilton saying about quitting?

When the media asks Hamilton about his F1 future, he doesn't want to talk about retiring.

At the end of the season, when someone asked him what he would say to those who think he might retire soon, the 40-year-old said, I wouldn't say anything to them. None of them have done what I've done, so they don't know anything more than I do.

Last summer, after some rumors that he might leave early, Hamilton said he's staying at Ferrari until his contract is up.

He said, For those writing stories about me thinking about not racing, I've just started here with Ferrari. I've been here for a few years, and I'm in it for the long run, so there's no question about what I'm focused on achieving with this team. There are zero doubts, so please stop making stuff up.

In 2026, everyone will still be wondering about Hamilton's future in F1, mainly if Ferrari keeps struggling with the new rules. And if Steiner is right, another year of not competing for a championship could be the end for him.

MAX VERSTAPPEN NAMED PEER-VOTED DRIVER OF THE YEAR FOR FIFTH CONSECUTIVE SEASON

Max Verstappen wins his 5th straight F1 peer award, beating champion Lando Norris. Lewis Hamilton drops out of the top 10 for the first time.

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Verstappen Wins Fifth Straight Peer Award

Max Verstappen copped his fifth straight driver-of-the-year award in Formula 1's secret peer vote, even though he almost grabbed a fifth title in 2025 but didn't quite make it.

The drivers all voted in secret, except for four guys. The Red Bull driver beat out Lando Norris, who just won the world championship, for the number one spot.

The voting worked like the normal F1 points system. Drivers ranked their top 10 rivals. Verstappen got 25 points from six votes to win.

Norris, who won his first championship after a crazy season, came in second in the driver rankings for the second year running.

The McLaren driver won the title after fighting off pressure from Verstappen and his teammate, Oscar Piastri, all season long.

George Russell took third, moving up one spot from last year. The Mercedes driver had a killer season with two wins and seven more podiums.

Piastri was fourth, up one spot, even though his championship hopes fizzled out near the end. The Aussie was leading by 34 points at one point before his performance dropped off.

Charles Leclerc finished fifth, down two spots, even though he got everything he could out of Ferrari's SF-25. The Monegasque driver had seven podiums during a tough season that saw Ferrari finish fourth.

Carlos Sainz held onto sixth after a great comeback at Williams. After a rough start, the Spaniard grabbed two podiums in a strong second half of the season.

Fernando Alonso jumped two spots to seventh, and the two-time world champion had some crazy drives in Aston Martin's AMR25.

Alex Albon took eighth after his best season with Williams, while rookies Oliver Bearman and Isack Hadjar rounded out the top 10, getting props for their awesome first seasons.

Pierre Gasly almost made the list, even with 10 Q3 appearances in Alpine's tricky A525.

Lewis Hamilton, who's won seven world championships, didn't show up in the rankings, which is a first since they started doing this poll. It shows how rough his first season at Ferrari was.

The four drivers who skipped the vote were Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg, Lance Stroll, and Yuki Tsunoda.

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