Ferrari’s Contentious Team Orders and Double Disqualification

The Chinese Grand Prix was a day to remember, or perhaps forget, for Ferrari as both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton faced disqualifications. However, the drama didn’t end there; a perceived team order incident added fuel to the fire, causing distress for team boss Fred Vasseur.

The Alleged Team Order Incident: A Closer Look

During their first pitstop around lap 20, Hamilton and Leclerc were running fourth and fifth respectively. This is when the tifosi first sensed team orders coming into play, with Hamilton appearing displeased by them. “We are swapping cars in Turn 14,” Hamilton’s race engineer Riccardo Adami instructed him, to which Hamilton replied, “When he’s closer, yeah.”

This was the first message picked up by the world feed, leading broadcasters to speculate that Hamilton was reluctant to let his team-mate past. This was followed by Adami’s “We will swap this lap,” with Hamilton’s curt reply, “I’ll tell you when we swap” being presented on the broadcast just as the Briton let his team-mate through.

This caused a stir among tifosi living rooms, especially given Leclerc’s damaged front wing. However, it soon became clear that this was indeed the correct decision. Hamilton continued to struggle with pace and eventually pitted again, finishing well behind the Monegasque driver. Unfortunately, technical infractions led to both drivers being disqualified from the results.

The Missing Context: A Crucial Piece of the Puzzle

Unbeknownst to the TV audience, it was Hamilton himself who suggested swapping places in the first place. “I think I’m going to let Charles go, because I’m struggling,” he said. However, this crucial piece of context, which would have prevented TV commentators from speculating, never made it onto the broadcast.

The Aftermath: Clarifications and Apologies

In his media debrief, team principal Vasseur was not happy with what he felt was the rights holder FOM manufacturing drama around his team. “I think this is a joke from FOM, because the first call came from Lewis,” he told reporters afterwards. He further stated that he would discuss the matter with them.

Motorsport.com understands that F1 has since reached out to Vasseur to have that conversation, explaining that its omission of Hamilton’s first message was not a deliberate decision to mislead viewers, but an oversight. An F1 spokesperson confirmed: “There was absolutely no intention of presenting a misleading narrative regarding the Ferrari team radio. Due to other situations developing during the race the message from Lewis was not played, but this was not intentional.”

The Impact on Hamilton’s Adaptation at Ferrari

Speaking about how Hamilton’s adaption to Ferrari has been portrayed, Vasseur said: “[The media] made a huge mess last week on the messages between the engineer and Lewis. Honestly, when Lewis came back to the briefing room he said to this engineer ‘good job.'” However, due to other discussions about using K1, a misunderstanding arose, leading to numerous questions.

Vasseur further stated that it was Hamilton who asked to swap. He expressed his appreciation for the call from Hamilton, stating, “The collaboration between the two guys is mega, I can’t complain a single second about something.” This level of cooperation, according to Vasseur, may not be repeated 10 times during the season in other teams. From the pitwall, they truly appreciated the call from Hamilton to say, “Guys, I’m losing the pace, I’m keen to swap.” The team-work between the two drivers is exceptional, and Vasseur has no complaints.

Hamilton opened his Ferrari account with a first sprint pole on Friday, followed by a dominant sprint race win on Saturday morning. Despite the controversies, it seems that the collaboration between Hamilton and Leclerc is off to a promising start.