Crisis at Ferrari: Hamilton responds with monosyllables and Vasseur, to Horner
The 2026 F1 season, with the start of the new regulations, should be the beginning of something big for Ferrari. The opportunity for those in red to win again. That’s what they believed in Italy. But finally, it is being another year of disappointments for those from Maranello. In Italy they remember the statements he made in 2022 John Elkannpresident of the company, confident that the ‘Horse‘”will win the F1 drivers’ and constructors’ championship again.” But that prediction is not going to come true.
The team’rosso‘started the year behind mercedes. They were overwhelmed by McLaren and in the last races, Red Bull He has also overtaken them. Ferrari had high hopes for increasing its competitiveness in the second part of the championship, with a clear turning point: the introduction of the second engine evolution of the year in monza (ADUO2), with more power to get closer to mercedes or challenge them. But several races have passed and the results are disappointing.
Ferrari’s sporting crisis has lasted for too many years. They have not won a drivers’ title since 2007 and the Constructors’ title since 2008. Almost two decades without crowns.
In between, many ‘almost’, like those of Alonsowho came to battle in 2010 and 2012 for the crown until the last date with a car less than Red Bull of Vettel. It is also worth highlighting 2022, when Ferrari He started with the best car, with a dominating Leclerc, before realizing that Newey’s aerodynamic concept with Verstappen’s Red Bull had much more room for evolution. They were overwhelmed by the superiority of those from Milton Keynes.
And at the end of those regulations, it was not Ferrari that could end up challenging the best. It was McLaren who woke up. and in The previous era, it was Red Bull that was able to stand up to Mercedes in 2021 in the first part of the hybrid era. And Ferrari? He couldn’t. Now, in 2026, he still does not react and must think about fixing the mess in 2027.
No podiums since July
Ferrari has not been on the podium since the last Spa race (Belgian GP, July 19), 5 races ago. And you don’t win an appointment since the pre-test Spain Silverstone. They only have two wins this year: Barcelonawith hamiltonand Great Britainwith Leclerc. And since then, they have seen how McLaren He has achieved two of the last 6 victories with Norris (Hungary and Netherlands).
But behind the scenes, the atmosphere is also tense. The smiles of Hamilton from Barcelona, the renewed Lewis, have disappeared.
There, MD highlighted the enormous change of the Briton, who a year before answered with monosyllables and a low voice and hid with his hand from photographers in the paddock. The sadness was gone. The joy had returned.
But after the premiere of the new Monza engine, everything has changed. It seems to have become clear that this new propellant was not what was believed. And that leaves further reflection: Mercedes made the best engine of the new era and Red Bull, faced with the challenge of creating its own power unit, achieved the most powerful combustion engine. Why not Ferrari? Again, they didn’t get it right.
In that context, everything that has happened within the team since the previous race in the Netherlands does not help either. Everything seems to have changed. And it doesn’t look good.
And yes, in Baku the Hamilton of short answers and low voices returned. An example of this is the appearance of the seven-time champion on ‘Sky Sports F1’ after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. There, he was asked directly about the noise around Ferrari after Christian Horner’s latest statements and if he still trusts that the team is still on the right path with Frédéric Vasseur at the helm. It is true that he was still hot, because he had gotten out of the car shortly before, disappointed. But Hamilton had the opportunity to defend Fred tooth and nail before the cameras. He limited himself to answering with one word: “Yeah”. That is, he said that he trusts Vasseur, but he did not want to explain anything more. His face paid.
Then, they asked him if there is “unity” within the team. Again, he answered with a solitary “Yeah”.
And finally, they asked him what the team should do for the rest of the year. “Keep pushing”, he added.
Hamilton seems to have gone from joy, to later anger, and finally, to resignation. Weeks ago, in Dutch GP, he got angry when he saw that the team did not ask Leclerc to let him pass despite his better pace and different strategy. And in Monza he did not hesitate to point out Vasseur and make it clear that the team had to prioritize him because he was closer to fighting for the World Cup. There, Lewis had no slipstream even though in theory Charles was supposed to give it to him.
During these months, Hamilton was proud of the many internal changes and in the way of working that he had promoted within the team. But now, their answers are different.
And to this we must add the final earthquake: Horner’s statements in the ‘Times’ in the middle of the Azerbaijan GP, clearly applying to sign for Ferrari, a team that he said is “a dream.”
And in Baku, Vasseur threw balls wide.
Vasseur’s response to Horner’s words
“For me, first of all, but also for the entire team, for the media… that 50% of the questions are about this I think creates a slightly frustrating situation,” said Frédéric Vasseur after the rumors about his possible departure and the statements of Christian Horner.
Mr. Horner is looking for a job, everyone knows that, everywhere.
“We are fighting for second position in the championship. In the end, We’re all talking a lot about this, and even the garage guys talking about it isn’t exactly the best conversation we can have. But it is what it is, it is not in my hands. “Mr. Horner is looking for work, everyone knows that, everywhere,” Vasseur added.
“But what can I do? Just try to do my best to push the team, ask them to be motivated, to focus on what we can do better today and not waste time with rumours. But in every interview, 25 times a day, we end up talking about this again“, concluded Vasseur, who last year signed a multi-year renewal with the Maranello brand, precisely to put an end to speculation about his position before the summer break in 2025. A year later, the situation seems more complex.
