F1 / NEWS & CONTEXT

Leclerc backs Vasseur and calls Ferrari rumours disrespectful

Charles Leclerc has backed Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur and criticised the continued circulation of rumours about his position.

GPBeat · Newsroom01 Oct 2026, 13:50 · 2 min

RacingNews365 English reported on 1 October that Ferrari had expressed confidence in team principal Fred Vasseur to selected media earlier in the week, amid rumours about his position. Hamilton called Vasseur a strong leader and said he was the right person to guide the team.

Hamilton argued that mistakes draw a much harsher reaction when Ferrari makes them, describing the criticism as “10 times worse” because of the team’s profile. He credited Vasseur with helping Ferrari reach second place in the constructors’ championship, which he called a substantial improvement on the previous year.

Hamilton also estimated that Ferrari was losing four tenths of a second, and sometimes six, through straight-line power each weekend. He said the team was working to address that deficit for next year.

Despite his support for Vasseur, Hamilton suggested Ferrari might need to examine its long-standing structure. He noted that people sit above the team principal and said the team’s difficulties were not down to one person.

Update

Leclerc said he has long trusted Vasseur and considers him important to Ferrari. He drew a distinction between criticism, which he accepts as part of the job, and the repeated circulation of rumours, which he called disrespectful. His remarks were reported by RacingNews365 Nederland on 1 October.

Leclerc said it was difficult to judge how much the speculation affects Ferrari, but he believed it was doing the team no good.

RacingNews365 Nederland also reports that Ferrari has issued a statement expressing full confidence in Vasseur.

Sources 02

SOURCELewis Hamilton points to '10 times worse' defence of Fred VasseurRacingNews365 English · Source date as found: 2026-10-01
SOURCELeclerc hekelt 'respectloze' geruchten rond Ferrari-teambaasRacingNews365 Nederland · Source date as found: 2026-10-01

Source context

RacingNews365 English reported Hamilton’s comments on 1 October 2026 and described Ferrari’s earlier expression of confidence to selected media.

Source: RacingNews365 Nederland’s 1 October 2026 report on Leclerc’s remarks and Ferrari’s statement.

Claims and supporting evidence 11

Hamilton described Vasseur as a strong leader and said he was the right person to guide Ferrari.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Hamilton’s assessment of Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur Remarks reported on 1 October 2026 This is Hamilton’s assessment, not evidence that Vasseur’s position is secure.

[1]

Hamilton said comparable mistakes draw much harsher criticism when Ferrari makes them; ‘10 times worse’ was his characterization, not a measured comparison.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Hamilton’s view of criticism directed at Ferrari Current criticism discussed in the 1 October 2026 report The report supplies no comparative measurement of media or public criticism.

[1]

Hamilton estimated that Ferrari loses four tenths, and sometimes six tenths, each weekend in straight-line power. He said the team was working to address it for the following year.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Hamilton’s estimate of Ferrari’s performance deficit 2026 season; prospective work for 2027 These are Hamilton’s performance estimate and account of the team’s work, not independently measured results or a guaranteed improvement.

[1]

Hamilton raised the possibility of examining a longstanding structure and noted that people sit above Vasseur. He did not announce a review or a management change.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Possible scrutiny of Ferrari’s management structure Forward-looking remarks reported on 1 October 2026 A possibility raised by Hamilton must not be presented as an adopted Ferrari plan.

[1]

RacingNews365 reported that Ferrari had expressed confidence in Vasseur to selected media earlier that week, amid rumours about his position.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Ferrari’s response to speculation about Vasseur Earlier in the week of 1 October 2026 The supplied report gives no direct Ferrari statement; the rumours do not establish that his removal was planned.

[1]

Hamilton credited Vasseur with helping Ferrari reach second place in the constructors’ championship and called it a substantial improvement on the previous year.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Hamilton’s assessment of Ferrari’s championship position 2026 championship position as described on 1 October 2026, compared with 2025 This describes a position at the time of the remarks, not a final championship result.

[1]

RacingNews365 reports that Charles Leclerc spoke to it, among others, and expressed confidence in Vasseur. This is an attributed account of Leclerc's position, not independent verification of Vasseur's future.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Leclerc's reported remarks about Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur Reported on 1 October 2026. No separate transcript or independently read account was supplied.

[2]

Leclerc calls the continuing spread of rumours disrespectful, while explicitly distinguishing it from criticism, which he says is part of the job.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Leclerc's criticism of rumours Remarks reported on 1 October 2026. His objection does not establish whether any particular rumour is true or false.

[2]

Leclerc says the scale of the rumours' impact is hard to assess, although he believes they do the team no good.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Leclerc's assessment of the rumours' effect Remarks reported on 1 October 2026. This is Leclerc's assessment, not a measured effect on the team.

[2]

RacingNews365 says Ferrari issued a statement expressing full confidence in Vasseur. That reported statement and Leclerc's support weigh against treating the speculation as an announced change of team principal.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Reported Ferrari response to speculation about Vasseur Statement described in the article published on 1 October 2026; its issuance date is not established by the supplied text. The original statement was linked but not supplied. An expression of confidence does not establish what Ferrari will decide in the future.

[2]

RacingNews365 reports that neither Leclerc nor Lewis Hamilton had reached the podium since the Hungarian Grand Prix. This is the publication's account of recent results, not a result independently checked against race records here.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. RacingNews365's performance context From the Hungarian Grand Prix to the article's publication on 1 October 2026. The supplied article gives no race-by-race results for this period.

[2]

Corrections and updates to this story

01 Oct 2026, 13:50

Updated with a material new development verified through a separate News Made Clear newsroom run.

This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.