Fred Vasseur admits Ferrari risked looking ‘completely stupid’ during Hamilton–Leclerc fight

Fred Vasseur admitted Ferrari could have looked ‘completely stupid’ as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc battled wheel-to-wheel for the podium in Shanghai – but insisted letting them race was vital for team spirit.

Hamilton won the battle ahead of the Monegasque driver to join his former team Mercedes on the podium, with his replacement Kimi Antonelli clinching his maiden grand prix win five seconds in front of George Russell.

Fred Vasseur explains Ferrari decision to let Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc race

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Outpaced by the Mercedes drivers in qualifying and race trim, the early rounds of the F1 2026 championship have – barring a slip-up from Mercedes – seen the Ferrari team-mates fighting for the right to join them on the podium.

Leclerc won the battle in Australia and again in the Shanghai Sprint, where a penalty for Antonelli opened the door for a Ferrari 2-3, but it was Hamilton who came to the fore in the grand prix.

He qualified ahead of Leclerc in third place and made an epic start to lead into Turn 1, only for pole-sitter Antonelli to fight back on Lap 2, powering his way down the straight to take the lead into the hairpin.

He scampered into the distance as the Ferraris fought Russell – and each other.

Hamilton and Leclerc traded positions several times in a thrilling “very fair, hard” tussle, as Leclerc put it, that included a “kiss” with Hamilton confirming there was brief contact.

The two, though, didn’t crash nor did they push one another off the track. In fact, such was the thrill of the fight, Leclerc told his race engineer Bryan Bozzi that it was “actually quite a fun battle” while Hamilton said it was “just what we want”.

Even Ferrari team principal Vasseur, sitting on the pit wall, appreciated it.

More on Ferrari’s intense Chinese GP battle

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“Huge respect for both of them,” he said. “They are professional, and I think it makes sense in this situation to let them race.

“I know perfectly that that can also look completely stupid half an hour later.

“But at the end of the day, I think it’s also the best way to build up a team. We need to have this kind of emulation into the team to improve.

“As long as it’s done like it was done today, even a couple of times on the radio they told us that they have good fun, but I don’t want to freeze the position.”

Hamilton won the fight as he passed Leclerc for the final time on Lap 40.

Making one last throw of the dice, Leclerc attacked Hamilton into the hairpin but the Briton had his measure and quickly fought back. That moment ended Leclerc’s challenge.

Hamilton went on to secure his first podium in Ferrari red by three seconds ahead of his teammate.

Vasseur is not at all surprised that Hamilton has ended his drought, given he is now more integrated with the team in his second season.

“Honestly,” said the Frenchman, “I think it’s always much easier the second one, because you are part of the project. From the beginning, he was in the simulator in mid-’25 when we started the project.

“I think he feels also a bit more involved in the project than one year ago. When he joined the team in January, the car was there.

“He knows everybody also a little bit more, the relationship is getting better and better that it’s also easier for him to deal with people and to work with everybody.

“Step by step, that we have to do marginal gains because it’s like this that will close the gap on.”

After two race weekends, Leclerc is third in the Drivers’ standings on 34 points, one point ahead of Hamilton. Ferrari is P2 in the Constructors’ Championship, 31 points down on Mercedes.

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