Lewis Hamilton has demanded that Ferrari dismiss a number of staff members and replace them with people of his own choosing, according to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The report says the 41 year old is increasingly disillusioned with how the team is being run.
The paper reports that the situation is also straining Hamilton's relationship with team principal Frederic Vasseur, who was one of the chief architects of Hamilton's move to Ferrari. The two have known each other for years, but Ferrari's current struggles are said to be putting that relationship under serious pressure.
Hamilton joined Ferrari hoping to compete for the world championship again and to become the first driver in history to win an eighth title. He is a seven time world champion. Instead, Corriere della Sera reports, the months since his arrival have exposed weaknesses in Ferrari's car and left him unhappy with how parts of the team function. If the reporting is accurate, Hamilton is no longer asking only for improvements to the car but wants personnel changes and greater influence over the people he works with.
Friction with Leclerc
The reported frustration is not limited to Ferrari's management. In recent weeks, tension has also built between Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc, according to the report. Hamilton reportedly believes that in several instances the Monegasque driver should have yielded position on track in the team's interest.
One particularly high profile incident came at the Italian Grand Prix, when Leclerc pushed Hamilton off the track shortly after the start. Hamilton dropped to tenth place as a result, effectively ending his chances of a podium finish that weekend.
Neither Ferrari driver is currently where he hoped to be. Leclerc sits fifth in the drivers' standings, behind Hamilton. Ferrari is therefore dealing at once with a car that lacks performance, tension within the team, and growing frustration from its biggest star.
Hamilton 101 points off the lead
Hamilton's position was further complicated by the Spanish Grand Prix, where he failed to finish after a brake failure and left the race in Madrid without scoring. The gap to championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli now stands at 101 points, a deficit that has effectively ended Hamilton's hopes of fighting for an eighth world title this season.
His gap to second placed George Russell is much smaller, at 20 points. It is still far from the result Hamilton was chasing when he agreed to one of the most talked about driver transfers in Formula 1 history.
