Fred Vasseur disagrees with Charles Leclerc about Lewis Hamilton battle at Japanese Grand Prix

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While Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were somewhat frustrated with their battle in Suzuka, Fred Vasseur was all for it.

Leclerc managed to secure a P3 finish, while Hamilton had to settle for P6. However, both drivers had to fend each other off at multiple points during the race.

Hamilton was frustrated over Leclerc’s advantage when it came to power, feeling as though Ferrari didn’t prioritise his power needs nearly enough.

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Leclerc was similarly frustrated with the SF-26, noting that the team at Maranello needed to make major changes to the car during the season hiatus.

But the battle between both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc did have one major proponent within Ferrari; none other than Fred Vasseur.

READ MORE: Charles Leclerc says George Russell’s Mercedes engineer was ‘being quite cheeky’ during Japanese GP

Fred Vasseur ‘welcomes’ frustrating Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc battle

Lewis Hamilton wasn’t the only one frustrated within Ferrari over their strategy during the Japanese Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc took every chance he got to communicate over the team radio about his frustration over battling with Hamilton. He told the team several times that the battle between the two was leading to him losing time.

Lap 16: “We are losing so much time with this (battle). Either I let him pass, and I lose time. I fight, and I lose time.”

Lap 40: “We are losing a bit of time. We aren’t managing that well. We’re losing a massive amount of time.”

While the two drivers were certainly frustrated, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur was comfortable letting them both compete for supremacy during the race, noting that Leclerc and Hamilton were seasoned professionals.

“In overtake mode, it’s quite easy to stay behind someone. Once there is a gap, you lose, and it is very difficult to freeze the position there. But they have experience, they’re professionals, and they know what they’re doing. I’m not afraid of that.”

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton could have a new race engineer at Ferrari for the Miami Grand Prix

Fred Vasseur claims Miami Grand Prix will be unofficial start of ‘new season’

Speaking further after the race, Vasseur also noted that Ferrari, along with several other teams, will be making major upgrades that will be available when the season resumes at the Miami Grand Prix.

“Please don’t misinterpret my statements: everyone will have upgrades, everyone will have changed their car. Everything will change, it will be a new season.

“We didn’t bring everything in the first few races, also because of the budget limit. From now on, everyone will push. The most important thing is the teams’ capacity to bring new upgrades.”

Perhaps Ferrari are keeping their changes somewhat secretive to not give Mercedes or any other team a competitive edge in preparing for them.

Should Ferrari be able to develop on the strong foundation they have laid to start the season, they will undoubtedly be a championship threat once the season resumes.