Charles Leclerc, not Lewis Hamilton, is the driver Ferrari truly stands behind. That is the view of Italian journalist Giorgio Terruzzi, speaking on his own podcast Terruzzi Racconta as the Scuderia prepares for the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Terruzzi said Leclerc is “certainly more pampered and loved within Ferrari than Hamilton” and described the situation as “a deep rift within Ferrari that has not been addressed.”

Ferrari has not commented publicly on the characterisation. The claim is not sourced to anyone inside the team and reflects one Italian commentator’s reading of the mood at Maranello, not an official position.

Hamilton accused of playing politics

Terruzzi framed the standoff as a duel of strategies rather than a straight on-track rivalry. He accused Hamilton of dragging out the Mexico incident through the Brazil weekend and suggested the seven-time world champion was leaning on his status to steer the team.

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According to Terruzzi, Hamilton leans on his position in the standings and his trophy cabinet to justify his influence inside Ferrari. Leclerc, Terruzzi argued, responds internally by questioning why Ferrari signed Hamilton at all, as a driver or as a technical director.

Drivers say Mexico is behind them

The public tone from inside the garage is calmer. At Interlagos, Hamilton told Sky Sports he and Leclerc had cleared the air themselves.

“Me and Charles sat and spoke and we squashed it, and we’re moving on. We still have a huge amount of respect for each other,” Hamilton said.

Leclerc, who arrived in São Paulo after the birth of his daughter Bianca, told the same outlet he considered the matter resolved and was focused on the rest of the weekend.

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Hamilton also pushed back on the idea that team principal Fred Vasseur had brokered the peace, telling reporters the conversation that counted was the one between the two drivers.

“Fred hasn’t cleared the air, in the sense of like me and Charles, we sat and spoke, and we squashed it,” Hamilton said.

Vasseur called Brazil meeting after Mexico collision

The underlying incident was a lap-one collision at the Mexico City Grand Prix that cost Ferrari a possible front-row result. Vasseur summoned both drivers to a meeting in Brazil to set clearer guidelines for how they race each other, with the team principal insisting the drivers must put Ferrari first.

Terruzzi’s intervention landed on 10 November, less than two weeks before the paddock arrives in Nevada. The Las Vegas Grand Prix runs from 19 to 21 November on the Strip, with the race scheduled for Saturday night local time.

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