Fred Vasseur claps back at media for misinterpreting Lewis Hamilton’s radio messages - “You have listen to the full story”
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur defended Lewis Hamilton as he accused the media of misinterpreting the driver's radio messages with his race engineer. Vasseur was being quizzed about the driver position swap that happened in China and claimed that Hamilton was the one to make the call of the swap first.
The 2025 Chinese Grand Prix turned out to be a major setback for Ferrari as both Hamilton and Leclerc were disqualified as their cars weren't in compliance with FIA rules and regulations.
During the race, both drivers made contact on lap one, which broke the front wing of Leclerc's SF-25, resulting in a performance drop. Moreover, with Hamilton dropping around lap 20, the strategy team made the call to switch the positions of the drivers. The Brit was told to let Leclerc move ahead but he delayed the swap by a few laps to finally let his teammate move ahead to P5.
Meanwhile, the radio exchange between Lewis Hamilton and his race engineer, Ricciardo Adami, led to speculations that perhaps the seven-time world champion wasn't willing to give his position to his teammate.
However, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur shot down the rumors, claiming the suggestion of a position swap first came from Hamilton. Taking to media, Fred said:
"The first call came from Lewis. He proposed to swap, you have to listen to the full story. He proposed to swap, and then it picked up a little bit of pace. It's not an issue at all."
Vasseur also added that he, the seven-time world champion, is getting judged since the start of the season, and he is getting used to these dramatic speculations.
Earlier at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton had several heated conversations with his race engineer. However, he clarified later that he was polite to Adami in Melbourne as the duo is getting adjusted to the new setting.
Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix
![Lewis Hamilton [L] with Charles Leclerc [R] at F1 Grand Prix Of China - Source: Getty](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/03/e0155-17427344417174-1920.jpg?w=500)
The 2025 Chinese Grand Prix turned out to be a nightmare weekend for Scuderia Ferrari as they ended up with zero points due to double disqualification. Leclerc and Hamilton finished P5 and P6, respectively, after struggling to find performance through the 56 laps.
However, their cars didn't pass the post-race checks conducted by FIA. Charles Leclerc's car was found overweight by one kg as he didn't meet the minimum weight limit set by FIA. As a penalty, he was disqualified along with Pierre Gasly, whose Alpine car was reported for the same violation.
On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton's car was noted for excessive skid wear. The rear plank of Hamilton's SF-25 was measured at 8.6 mm, which is less than the minimum 9 mm limit set by the FIA.
Hence, Hamilton also faced disqualification, and the double DSQ will cost Ferrari significantly in the constructors championship.