“We’re Not on the Same Team Anymore”—Charles Leclerc’s Rift With Lewis Hamilton Tears Ferrari in Two

The Fire Beneath the Scuderia

It was supposed to be a dream pairing. Charles Leclerc, the young Monegasque prodigy with ice in his veins, teaming up with Lewis Hamilton, the most decorated Formula One driver of all time, in a Ferrari project designed to reclaim glory from the ruins of a decade-long drought. But somewhere between the headlines and the hopes, between the press conferences and the simulator runs, something fractured.

And now, deep inside the walls of Maranello, a quiet civil war is tearing apart Ferrari’s strategy team—and insiders say the breaking point wasn’t a technical failure. It was a sentence.

One said behind closed doors. Not shouted, but coldly delivered.

“We’re done sharing.”

The words came from Leclerc, and they didn’t just signal the end of cooperation. They triggered a spiral.

Because what began as tension between two world-class drivers is now threatening to split Ferrari’s entire race program in half.

And no one inside the Scuderia is pretending it isn’t real anymore.

From Respect to Rebellion

Publicly, they’ve smiled. Handshakes, jokes, even the occasional joint appearance. But in the weeks since Hamilton officially joined Ferrari ahead of the 2025 season, subtle signs of unrest have grown impossible to ignore.

It started with a shift in simulator scheduling. According to Maranello insiders, Leclerc’s access to certain aero packages and power unit maps was quietly reduced during pre-season development—not eliminated, just delayed. The explanation? “Balance testing” across both drivers.

But Leclerc didn’t buy it.

Then came the briefings. Joint debriefs between Leclerc and Hamilton were standard protocol at Ferrari’s Fiorano base—until, suddenly, they weren’t. One week after the Canadian Grand Prix, Leclerc reportedly walked out of a post-race data session, telling his engineers, “I’m not feeding his car anymore.”

Sources close to Leclerc say the Ferrari golden boy feels blindsided. Hamilton, they claim, has been given “unfiltered access” to Leclerc’s telemetry, setup notes, and long-run data—the very tools that helped the Monegasque build his speed over the past four years. And in return?

Hamilton, they claim, gives nothing.

“There’s no reciprocity,” a Ferrari engineer admitted. “Charles gives. Lewis takes. That’s how it feels right now.”

And now, Leclerc has drawn a line.

“We’re done sharing.”

Not just words. A decision. A division.

And it’s breaking Ferrari’s system from the inside.

A Strategy Team in Crisis

For most teams, the idea of inter-driver secrecy is old news. But Ferrari isn’t most teams. Their culture is based on centralized control—a top-down, methodical approach where drivers are part of a larger machine. Leclerc bought into that. Hamilton… never would.

Since his days at McLaren, Lewis Hamilton has been fiercely protective of his data, his preferences, and his rhythms. He builds an inner circle and shares sparingly. At Mercedes, it worked—because the team bent around him. At Ferrari, however, the dynamic is more rigid. And now, with two alphas fighting over the same throne, Ferrari’s fragile ecosystem is cracking.

Already, several key figures in the strategy department have reportedly chosen sides.

Team strategist Giulia Ravelli, long considered a Leclerc loyalist, is said to have refused to send Hamilton’s crew detailed tire wear projections that included Leclerc’s data overlay. Meanwhile, Tommaso Galli, who joined Ferrari from Mercedes alongside Hamilton’s camp, has been pushing for independent strategy cells—one for each driver.

This is not standard practice. In fact, it’s dangerous.

The result?

Mixed calls. Conflicting priorities. Tire gambles are made in isolation.

And it’s showing on track.

In Austria, Leclerc was left out on degrading soft tires while Hamilton pitted behind him—a move that, in retrospect, looked less like a team mistake and more like a communications breakdown. At Silverstone, Hamilton took an aggressive intermediate switch that Leclerc never even heard discussed on his radio. He finished eighth. Hamilton finished second.

The math speaks for itself.

So do the whispers.

And within Ferrari’s walls, there’s a growing fear: this isn’t just rivalry.

This is sabotage.

Why Leclerc Feels Betrayed

What makes this rupture so volatile isn’t ego—it’s trust.

Charles Leclerc has spent his entire career inside the Ferrari system. From junior formula support to his eventual promotion in 2019, he’s been the chosen one. The prince is waiting for the crown. Through bad cars, bad strategy, and heartbreak on home soil, he stayed loyal. He never flirted with rivals. He never played the political game.

And then came Hamilton.

When Ferrari announced the seven-time world champion’s signing, the paddock erupted with praise. But for Leclerc, the message was clear: you’re not enough.

Sources close to the driver describe a shift in tone since that moment. Less smiling. Less collaboration. More pointed questions in meetings. More solo simulator sessions. More resistance.

Leclerc reportedly told Ferrari leadership in March, You brought him here. Fine. But I won’t be his development driver.”

The message was unmistakable. If Ferrari wanted harmony, they’d have to earn it.

And they haven’t.

Now, the tension is bleeding into every corner of the garage. Leclerc’s camp is said to have requested a firewall between data systems, while Hamilton’s engineers are quietly lobbying for a complete redesign of the strategy structure—one that would reduce the team’s reliance on centralized calls and increase driver input.

And in the middle? Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur, caught between a homegrown star and an imported legend.

And losing control of both.

Can Ferrari Survive This?

This was not how it was supposed to go.

The plan was to create the ultimate duo. Hamilton would bring championship experience, relentless development insight, and poise under pressure. Leclerc would bring youth, raw pace, and the loyalty of the Tifosi. Together, they’d push each other—and Ferrari—back to the top.

Instead, they’ve created a powder keg.

And it may already be too late to defuse it.

Ferrari insiders admit the team is now functionally operating as two units—with separate strategy calls, setup teams, and, in some cases, even media schedules. The language around the team has changed, too. In briefings, engineers no longer say “our cars.” They say “Charles’s car” and “Lewis’s car.”

That’s not semantics. That’s separation.

And as the championship enters its most brutal stretch—from the high-speed chaos of Monza to the tactical minefield of Singapore—Ferrari is facing a terrifying reality:

Their two drivers are no longer fighting together.

They’re fighting each other.

And in Formula One, a divided garage is a losing garage.

The Final Straw?

Leclerc’s sentence—“We’re “done sharing”—might ”seem petty to outsiders. But within Ferrari, it’s an earthquake. Because the Scuderia’s last true title run, the Schumacher era, was built on unity. On hierarchy. On total alignment.

Now?

Now the team is being pulled apart by ambition. Hamilton’s drive to reclaim an eighth title. Leclerc’s fear of being replaced. Engineers caught in the crossfire. Strategists paralyzed by conflicting inputs.

And the world is watching.

The Tifosi have already taken sides. Social media is ablaze with speculation, blame, and conspiracy. Italian tabloids are calling it “la guerra fredda rossa”—the ”Red Cold War.

And it may only get colder.

Because if Ferrari can’t restore order—if they can’t convince Leclerc to trust again or convince Hamilton to adapt—then this partnership will collapse before it ever truly begins.

And it won’t just cost them a championship.

It will cost them everything.

The legacy. The momentum. The myth.

Because at Ferrari, you’re either building history…

Or you’re being buried by it.

And right now, the Scuderia is digging its own grave—one radio message at a time.