Lewis Hamilton shut down again as Ferrari boss refuses to side with Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff’s claims that the dominance of Max Verstappen is boring for the F1 community are not shared by Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur, who believes that it is on the rest of the grid to take the fight to Red Bull, rather than the FIA.

With Red Bull untouchable at the front of the field and team-mate Sergio Perez struggling to get to grips with the car, Verstappen has been free to romp to his third successive world title, winning eight successive Grands Prix ahead of the summer break, while the team are on course for an unprecedented clean sweep.

“I think we have to collectively do a better job,” said Vasseur. “It is not that Max is damaging [the sport]. Max is doing a fantastic job, Red Bull is doing a fantastic job and it’s just that we have to do better. We can’t complain about Max or Red Bull.

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The legendary British driver had previously suggested that thanks to the extent of Red Bull’s advantage compared to the rest of the field, the spectacle of F1 had become boring. He went on to suggest an annual development cut-off point, before which teams would not be allowed to develop the next season’s car. 

Hamilton’s proposal was not well-received in the F1 community. Pundit Peter Windsor described Hamilton’s proposal as “a joke to upset Red Bull” on his YouTube channel, while Red Bull team principal Christian Horner responded by claiming that it would be “an incredibly hard thing to police”.

The 38-year-old, whose last victory came at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, was also criticised by Indy500 and Monaco Grand Prix winner Juan Pablo Montoya, who lambasted Hamilton for his hypocritical view of Verstappen’s success.

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“It’s always very nice to complain when you don’t win,” the Colombian explained to Formula Passion. “But when Lewis won he said that the car didn’t give him any advantage. Actually, Mercedes’ advantage was as big as what Red Bull currently has.”

Hamilton isn’t the only member of the Mercedes camp to have attracted criticism for hypocrisy. Wolff has also found himself under the microscope for his comments on Red Bull’s current domination. 

Ferrari boss Vasseur had previously spoken out against the Mercedes team principal, claiming that while Red Bull’s domination is frustrating for the rest of the field, he believes that “the feeling is probably the same as when Mercedes was in front a couple of years ago.”

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