Hamilton: 'Ferrari has no internal rules, must change starting from Fred Vasseur' after Monza disaster

The Monza race was a nightmare for Ferrari – the team left its home circuit with Charles Leclerc's destroyed car and Lewis Hamilton's bitter sixth place. The moment two teammates made contact in the opening laps not only ruined their own race but exposed an ongoing disease within the Italian team: a lack of clear internal rules of engagement. Lewis Hamilton, the 41-year-old British driver, started from fourth, just behind teammate Charles Leclerc. In the battle at Turn 2, Hamilton believed he was ahead before the apex. But then contact occurred – Hamilton claimed he was pushed off track by Leclerc, lost places, and later Leclerc crashed heavily, forcing his Ferrari to retire. After the restart, Hamilton could only recover to sixth place. For a top team like Ferrari, this result is a disaster – not just because they raced at home, but because it directly hurts their constructors' championship ambitions. In his post-race interview, Hamilton did not hide his frustration. He directly criticized his teammate: 'I was ahead into Turn 2. I was ahead when I got to the apex. There was no 'we' in it. There is really not much more to say. It was really bad for the team, and obviously we lost many positions.' Hamilton insisted he never races dirty: 'I don't race dirty. I've always raced clean and fair, and I've always given space. Since I got to the team, I've tried to respect space and certainly not put the team in a bad situation.' But the most notable part was Hamilton aiming at team principal Fred Vasseur. He said such rules must come from the top, not from the drivers. 'At the end of the day, it comes from the top. The decisions are passed down and they start with Fred. We haven't had clear instructions on how to behave when both drivers have the chance to fight for podiums or wins.' 'We need to review how we communicate. If we keep going down the same path, we'll keep getting the same result. And we keep getting the same result. We have to change things because it's not helping us move forward. Ultimately, it's about setting rules of engagement.' This is not the first time Hamilton has had trouble with a teammate on track, but the most memorable memories come from his intense rivalry with Nico Rosberg at Mercedes. Notably, at that time, Mercedes had a written set of internal racing rules, and it mostly worked. Hamilton explained: 'When I was at Mercedes, we had written rules of engagement. We hardly ever had big problems. Maybe there were a few moments between me and Nico, but most of the time it worked fine. Here, there are no rules. And I think that's something we have to change.' These comments are not just momentary frustration. They expose a bigger issue at Ferrari: emotional leadership instead of structure. When a team has two excellent drivers like Leclerc and Hamilton, track battles are inevitable. Without prior rules, every race can turn into an internal war that destroys the team – something rivals like Red Bull and Mercedes have learned to avoid for years. At Monza, everything collapsed in the worst possible way. The contact at Turn 2 cost Ferrari a major points haul and created a crack in the team's internal relationships. Hamilton, known for precise driving and team spirit, is now looking at the Italian team with suspicion – and he is absolutely right. A classic example from the past: at Mercedes, when Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg fought directly for the title for several seasons, Toto Wolff's team had a clear institutionalized rule. Drivers knew they could fight hard in the first laps, but they were never allowed to touch. If they did, it was both drivers' fault. They understood that personal pride never outweighed team interests. Ferrari is missing exactly that culture of discipline. Instead of having a strong leader setting boundaries, Fred Vasseur seems to be letting the drivers sort it out themselves. This is especially dangerous when Charles Leclerc has been a pillar of the team for years, and Lewis Hamilton is one of the greatest veterans in history, who has never accepted being pushed offline by a teammate. Tactically, the duel at Turn 2 was a 'both wrong' moment from the outside. Hamilton chose the ideal racing line, while Leclerc dived up the inside. Without a third car forcing the issue, one of them could have yielded, but the egos of two superstars did not allow it. As a result, the Ferrari ended up broken and their promising season schedule suffered a blow. The lesson from Monza is about preparation. No team can rely on luck when facing pressure. If there are no rules, the fish will bite each other. Ferrari should look at Mercedes at their peak to understand that championship trophies are built on consistency in every small detail, especially within the team.