Hamilton denies reports he sought Ferrari personnel changes

Lewis Hamilton has publicly denied Italian media reports that he asked Ferrari to replace trackside personnel, stating he has never requested anyone on his team to be replaced. The seven-time world champion took to Instagram on Thursday to address the speculation, which emerged following the Spanish Grand Prix. Hamilton, who joined Ferrari in 2025, is currently 101 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli with nine rounds remaining in the 2026 season. His title hopes have faded after a challenging run of results, including a retirement due to a brake problem at the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid. The reports, first published by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, suggested Hamilton was pushing team principal Frederic Vasseur for operational changes to the team's trackside structure. The article also indicated a potential strain in the relationship between Hamilton and Vasseur, who have known each other since Hamilton's 2006 GP2 championship-winning season. In his Instagram story, posted with a background photo of Ferrari team members, Hamilton wrote: "I've seen some stories that have gone out and I want to clear it up here.