Lewis Hamilton publicly moved to shut down claims of a power struggle at Ferrari, insisting he has never asked for any member of his team to be removed.
The seven-time world champion took to Instagram on Thursday after Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that he had pushed for changes to Ferrari’s trackside personnel and that his relationship with team principal Fred Vasseur had cooled – a striking suggestion given Vasseur’s central role in luring Hamilton to Maranello in the first place.
Hamilton was having none of it.
“I’ve seen some of the stories that have gone out and I want to clear it up here. I’ve never asked for anyone on my team to be replaced,” he wrote, directly addressing the rumours.
From there, his message turned to the people around him and the culture he says he wants to build.
“Everyone I work with works hard every day, and their dedication is what moves us forward,” he continued. “I always try to empower and lift people to be the best versions of themselves or at least see the best in themselves.
“I may not always achieve that but it’s my intention and that’s what I’m here to do.
“We all work together and that will continue.”
The timing of the report – and Hamilton’s response – is no coincidence. Ferrari are in the middle of a bruising run. The team has not stood on a grand prix podium since Spa in July, a stark comedown for a squad that began the season talking openly about wins and a title push.
The tension spiked at Monza. On home soil, with the tifosi watching and expecting a statement, Ferrari instead endured a chaotic, error-strewn weekend. Strategy calls misfired, execution wobbled, and Hamilton’s frustration crackled over the radio as he urged the team to pull together and address the operational mistakes that keep costing them.
That plea for unity has now been followed by a public defence of the very people around him. No demands for heads to roll. No ultimatums. Just a clear message: the fight, at least from Hamilton’s side, is with the stopwatch, not with his own garage.
