Juan Pablo Montoya does not think Fred Vasseur is weak. He thinks Vasseur is boxed in.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, the former McLaren driver argued that the difference between how Mercedes and Ferrari function at the top makes a direct comparison between Vasseur and Wolff misleading. Wolff can commit to a big decision on his own; at Ferrari, in Montoya’s reading, the decision has to be signed off further up the building.

“You don’t know internally whether Fred is actually the one in charge at that moment, or whether someone else is handling it, someone higher up, or something like that, because remember that at Ferrari it doesn’t stop with Fred. At Ferrari, it goes much higher up,” Montoya told the outlet.

His comparison went further: he likened Vasseur’s effective remit to that of Bradley Lord, whom Mercedes formalised as deputy team principal in March 2026. The suggestion is that Ferrari’s principal is a senior operator rather than the sole decision-maker, and that is why the outside view, that he has lost his grip on a seven-time world champion, misses what is actually going on.

Read also: Manchester City suffer historic collapse as Arsenal open six-point Premier League lead

The Mexico clash behind the question

The piece landed between two races that have put Hamilton and Leclerc under the microscope. At the Mexico City Grand Prix on 1 November, Leclerc went around the outside of Hamilton at Turn 4 on the opening lap, both cars ran wide, and Leclerc jumped ahead across the grass. The stewards gave Leclerc a five-second penalty, lighter than it might have been because they also pointed to Hamilton’s own run-wide into the corner.

Max Verstappen won the race from Hamilton, with Kimi Antonelli third and crowned 2026 world champion in the process.

Hamilton did not hide his view that his teammate was racing him harder than anyone else on the grid. Asked directly whether that was his impression, he answered in a single word: “yes.” He added that “something needs to change, for sure,” and noted that Ferrari had no rules of engagement for the two drivers.

Vasseur: ‘I’m not asking them to be best friends’

Vasseur flew back to Europe between the two rounds and sat down with Hamilton and Leclerc on Thursday evening in Brazil. He confirmed the meeting on Friday at Interlagos.

Read also: Toto Wolff compares Hamilton-Leclerc Ferrari clash to explosive Rosberg rivalry

“I’m not asking them to be best friends. I think that would probably even be a bit negative,” Vasseur told reporters.

He framed the priority as the team rather than the relationship, saying Ferrari came first “for the brand, for the employees and for the Tifosi” and that both drivers had to respect each other and the staff in Maranello. What was said in the room itself, he insisted, had to stay private.

The race day backdrop

Vasseur’s own future has been the subject of fresh speculation around the Brazil weekend, which only sharpens the question Montoya is asking. Lando Norris starts the São Paulo Grand Prix from pole, with George Russell alongside him and Antonelli third.

Read also: Chelsea, Man Utd and Tottenham battle for €50m striker as Barcelona eye surprise windfall