Just In: Lewis Hamilton ‘wants Ferrari staff axed’ as verdict on team principal becomes clear

Lewis Hamilton has reportedly asked Ferrari to make personnel changes behind the scenes, with tensions fraying in recent weeks. The seven-time world champion has only claimed one Grand Prix victory this year and currently sits third in the Drivers’ Championship standings, a whopping 101 points behind runaway leader Kimi Antonelli.

Ferrari have struggled as of late, collecting just 73 points since the Hungarian Grand Prix in July. In that time, they have won less than half the points of Mercedes and even Red Bull have done better over the last four races. Reliability issues have become a problem for Ferrari, with Hamilton being forced to retire from last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix because of a brake failure.

According to Italian outlet Corriere della Sera, the 41-year-old is unhappy behind the scenes and wants Ferrari to replace a number of trackside staff.

It’s also claimed that his relationship with team principal Frederic Vasseur is no longer what it once was, leading to further tensions.

Hamilton worked with Vasseur when he raced in junior categories and the latter’s presence at Ferrari was reportedly a major factor behind the Brit’s decision to move there.

However, the Ferrari boss has been under increased pressure this season, with reports last week claiming that his future within the team was uncertain.

They have already promised a detailed investigation into the brake failure that saw Hamilton retire from the Spanish Grand Prix after just six laps.

Speaking afterwards, Vasseur said: “At this stage, we don’t yet know the exact cause of the brake system issue that forced him to retire.

“We will investigate it thoroughly. The pedal was long. We tried to fix it from the pit wall, and then it happened again.”