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Lewis Hamilton has been heavily linked with a move to Ferrari this summer, but Fred Vasseur\u2019s refusal to pin blame on the crew and engineers could dissuade the legendary Briton from making the switch to Maranello.<\/p>\n
Earlier this summer QN Motori<\/em> suggested Hamilton had been personally contacted on two separate occasions by Ferrari president John Elkann and team principal Vasseur with the duo attempting to lure the seven-time world champion to Maranello for the 2024 season and beyond.<\/p>\n However, Mercedes are also pushing to secure Hamilton\u2019s signature with the Brackley-based team hoping to extend their decade-old partnership with the 38-year-old for another couple of years at a minimum.<\/p>\n Unfortunately for Ferrari, Vasseur\u2019s decisions to back the Ferrari team over driver Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz this season could play a role in deciding Hamilton\u2019s next move as he enters the twilight years of his glittering F1 career.<\/p>\n Click here to join our WhatsApp community to be the first to receive breaking and exclusive F1 news.<\/strong><\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> Lewis Hamilton and George Russell blamed for Mercedes struggles at Dutch GP[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n Hamilton has previously made it clear that he wants race engineers to be held accountable if mistakes are made – something that isn’t happening at Ferrari right now. Speaking to the BBC Chequered Flag<\/em> podcast earlier this season, Hamilton said: \u201cI\u2019ve driven so many cars in my life, so I know what a car needs, I know what a car doesn\u2019t need. And I think it\u2019s really about accountability, it\u2019s about owning up and saying \u2018yeah, you know what, we didn\u2019t listen to you, it\u2019s not where it needs to be and we\u2019ve got to work\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n After Hamilton stressed the importance of accountability, Mercedes confirmed tough conversations were held with members of the team. In a team statement, they said: \u201cInside the team, we talk about having the courage to fail, the character to be accountable and the strength to see failure as an opportunity.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have been open and searingly honest about where we find ourselves. And we are working urgently and calmly to build our recovery plan.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, in the Ferrari camp, Vasseur has refused to blame the team\u2019s pit crew and strategists following Leclerc\u2019s calamitous pit stop during the opening stages of Sunday\u2019s Dutch Grand Prix.<\/p>\n More F1… <\/strong> We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n Speaking after the race, Vasseur explained: \u201cIt was a very late call, but I think it was still the right decision because we were in a much better position than before even with the six or seven seconds we lost in the pit lane.\u201d<\/p>\n In fact, instead of looking inwards to issue blame for some of Ferrari\u2019s blunders this season, Vasseur had previously highlighted some of the shortcomings in Leclerc\u2019s personality as a driver in a move that will unlikely endear him to Hamilton.<\/p>\n
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Max Verstappen confirms Lando Norris team-mate talks behind the scenes[NEWS] <\/strong><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/73\/590x\/secondary\/Fred-Vasseur-Ferrari-4932300.jpg?r=1693312357745\")
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