Lewis Hamilton relationship BANNED by Ferrari boss

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has banned F1 champion Lewis Hamilton from a close friendship with his team-mate Charles Leclerc.

At the halfway stage in 2025, Leclerc has largely outclassed his seven-time world champion team-mate and has beat Hamilton in qualifying on eight out of 12 occasions this year.

Leclerc has also acquired four podiums with Ferrari, while Hamilton still awaits his first top three grand prix finish with the team.

However, team-mate statistics will be of little concern to Hamilton and Leclerc, whose main focus in the second-half of the season will be to improve the pace of the SF-25.

Speaking to Belgian broadcaster RTBF at the start of the season, Vasseur placed importance on his drivers pushing each other to get the best results, so much so he doesn’t want them to be best friends.

“There’s a very good understanding. But there needs to be a bit of competition between them. I don’t want them to be best friends,” Vasseur explained.

“They’re not enemies either, but first and foremost they’re competitors. That’s the way it has to stay, they always have to try to do better than the other. That’s what drives them. In any case, the state of mind is very positive and healthy.”

Can Ferrari turn performances around at Spa?

Hamilton and Leclerc will drive an upgraded Ferrari at the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix, after a debut test for a new rear suspension at Mugello last week.

Following the test, Leclerc remained unconvinced by the strength of the update and claimed there was not a ‘big difference’ in performance.

Ferrari have enjoyed incremental gains since they introduced a floor upgrade to the SF-25 in Austria, but fundamental weaknesses still remain in their 2025 challenger.

Both Leclerc and Hamilton endured a difficult weekend at Silverstone in the rain, where both drivers failed to keep their Ferrari on the track and the champion once again missed out on a podium.