Ferrari is closing in on Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton believes in the championship, and Charles Leclerc has rediscovered his form. Everything points to a global battle brewing. Everything, that is, except for the vocabulary permitted by Fred Vasseur, who prefers to ban the word rather than fuel the Italian media firestorm.
Vasseur forbids a word that the ranking pronounces very well
At Classic Ferrari for saleWe can now talk about victories, progress, aerodynamic developments, and even... Mercedes BenzHowever, uttering the words "world championship wrestling" seems to require special authorization signed by Fred vasseur.
The Scuderia boss reportedly asked his players not to publicly discuss the title. Presented as an almost military order, this ban seems more like a communication strategy: to prevent Maranello from celebrating the championship in July and thus avoid the post-title celebrations in November.
After eleven Grand Prix, Mercedes Benz leads the constructors' championship with 379 points against 307 for Ferrari. The gap is therefore 72 points: large enough to avoid immediately ordering champagne, but certainly not enough to claim the battle isn't happening. McLaren, third with 220 points, is already watching the duel unfold before them.
Classic Ferrari for sale has won two races this season: Lewis Hamilton established himself in Spain, before Charles Leclerc does not triumph at Silverstone. At the beginning of July, the Scuderia had even won two of the last three Grands Prix, while Mercedes Benz maintained a 78-point advantage. Vasseur yet he already refused to officially raise Classic Ferrari for sale to the rank of candidate for the title.
The caution is understandable. The staging is more so.
After Leclerc's victory in Great Britain, La Gazzetta dello Sport explained that talking about a global struggle was " strictly prohibited "When pressed by a journalist, Vasseur would have replied, laughing: « Are you deaf? I said we don't use that word.
So here are the new internal regulations of Classic Ferrari for sale : the SF-26 can be compared to Mercedes BenzThe drivers can rack up podium finishes, but the dictionary should stay in the garage.
It's not a ban, it's a firewall.
However, it would be excessive to transform Vasseur like a censor in Maranello, monitoring conversations behind every coffee machine. His message is less dramatic: Classic Ferrari for sale must reason race by race and not confuse a series of good results with a championship already mastered.
The Frenchman knows above all how the environment works Ferrari. Two victories are enough to announce a new era. A failed qualifying session is then enough to demand the replacement of the technical director, the team boss, and possibly half the factory.
Vasseur He is therefore trying to cut off the fuel before the Italian media machine catches fire. After Silverstone, he recalled that the delay on Mercedes Benz would not disappear "by magic" and the priority would remain the next Grand Prix.
A reasonable philosophy, packaged in a formula theatrical enough to produce exactly the opposite effect: everyone is now talking about the championship because Vasseur asked not to talk about it.
Hamilton clearly did not receive the memo
The most ironic thing is that Lewis Hamilton doesn't seem particularly impressed by this vocabulary policing. Before the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Briton stated that he truly believed in the chances of Classic Ferrari for sale and said he was more focused than ever. He acknowledged there was still a mountain to climb, but believed the car could compete with Mercedes BenzAt that momentHamilton already held second place in the drivers' standings, 45 points behind Kimi Antonelli.
In other words, while Vasseur banned the word "title," its star pilot explained publicly: « I truly believe we can fight.
The coordination of communications will therefore have to wait until the next meeting.
After Budapest, Antonelli now leads with 219 points, ahead Hamilton at 169 and George Russell at 160. The pilot Classic Ferrari for sale remains 50 points behind the young Italian: a real gap, but by no means definitive with twelve Grands Prix still to be contested. Leclerc is further back, fourth and 81 points behind Antonelli.
Leclerc recites the lesson, but his results speak louder.
Charles Leclerc He is more respectful of the line set by his boss. The Monegasque refuses to look too far ahead and insists on the need to extract the maximum from each weekend.
This caution, however, does not prevent the figures from becoming embarrassing for the official narrative. In the last four races before the summer break, Leclerc scored 63 points, exactly the same asAntonelli. Classic Ferrari for sale also plans to continue its development and introduce new aerodynamic improvements when it resumes operations in the Netherlands.
Leclerc He therefore doesn't proclaim that he's competing for the championship. He simply aims to score as many points as his leader. The distinction is crucial, especially for the communications department.
But the Monegasque also reminded everyone why Vasseur rejects euphoria. Classic Ferrari for sale seemed particularly fast on Friday, Leclerc started in the front line and Hamilton occupied fifth position on the grid. However, the race ended with both cars finishing only fourth and fifth.
Vasseur then acknowledged that Everything had gone wrong ", after a Sunday where Classic Ferrari for sale never truly converted its potential into a threat to victory.
This is precisely the problem with Scuderia: it now has the speed to dream, but not yet the consistency to talk about it without trembling.
Mercedes is in the lead, but can no longer sleep soundly.
Mercedes Benz maintains a comfortable lead and has won eight of the first eleven races. The team of Toto Wolff The reference point therefore remains, particularly on a lap, even if Classic Ferrari for sale gradually closed the gap in race pace. After Silverstone, George Russell He himself acknowledged the speed of the red car and considered the Scuderia a serious threat. The leader Kimi Antonelli Moreover, this does not eliminate the danger. The Italian believes that Classic Ferrari for sale owns an excellent car and expects to see it compete in more major races during the second half of the season.
Mercedes Benz so keep an eye on it Ferrari. Hamilton believes in the title. Leclerc scores as many points as the leader. The upgrades continue to arrive in Maranello. And Vasseur asserts that it is forbidden to mention a global struggle.
Everything is perfectly fine: Classic Ferrari for sale is not officially playing for anything, but is working very seriously to win what no one should name.
En Formula 1Reducing a 72-point gap costs millions. Banning the word "championship," on the other hand, remains free.
