Nov.7 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur insists Ferrari has turned the page on its Mexico GP controversy after an hour-long meeting with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in Brazil.
The talks took place on Thursday evening, with Sky Italia reporting they lasted an hour as the team attempted to calm the growing tension between its drivers.
“It went well,” Vasseur said at Interlagos.
“It was good to discuss, good to clarify my position and their position. It was good to do, and now we turn the page.”
The Ferrari boss admitted frustration has been building as Hamilton and Leclerc increasingly find themselves fighting each other at the front.
“They are starting each weekend side by side, and you have a kind of accumulation of that,” he said.
But he insisted the message to both drivers was unmistakable.
“The conclusion of the meeting yesterday evening was clear. It was a clear reminder that Ferrari is coming first,” said the Frenchman.
Vasseur also dismissed concerns about the personal relationship between the pair.
“I’m not asking them to be best friends. I think it would even probably be a bit negative. I’m just asking them to act and to work as professionals,” he said.
Leclerc, who arrived late in Brazil following the birth of his daughter Bianca, also declared the matter closed.
“It was really good that we all sat down and talked,” he said on Friday.
“I didn’t have time to talk about it, and I think the discussions certainly help to clear up any lingering frustration.
“Now I feel that everything has been resolved.”
Former Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello warned that the team cannot afford further conflict.
“You need harmony to win,” he told Sky Italia. “There’s no need to go to war.”
Felipe Massa, also at Interlagos, agreed that Ferrari’s priority should be its competitiveness, while former driver Timo Glock criticised Vasseur for failing to establish clearer rules before Mexico.
“If I have a chance like that to achieve a one-two finish, the team principal needs to make a clear statement before the race,” Glock told Sky Deutschland.
Ralf Schumacher, however, believes Vasseur is facing an inherently difficult situation.
“The problem is that there are two alpha males at Ferrari,” he said. “And neither of them is much faster than the other.”