Ferrari’s Hamilton-Leclerc management question returns after Dutch GP

Ferrari’s management of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc is back under the microscope after the Dutch Grand Prix, with former F1 TV pundit Will Buxton questioning how the team handles the dynamic between its two drivers. According to the source material, Buxton’s criticism was aimed less at raw pace and more at Ferrari’s hesitation on the pit wall, particularly its reluctance to issue team orders when a quicker call may have been needed.

The comparison Buxton drew with Mercedes is what sharpens the point. In the same context, the Brackley team was described as having handled a position swap smoothly and decisively, while Ferrari avoided an intervention. That contrast matters because it shifts the discussion away from a simple “should the team order have been made?” argument and toward a broader question of process. When two front-running drivers are both in contention, a team’s real test is whether its pit wall can make a clear call quickly enough to shape the race rather than react to it.

That is why this episode lands as more than another one-off strategy debate. Ferrari’s challenge is not only to find the right answer in the moment, but to build a structure that allows the right answer to be delivered without hesitation. The sources do not say the Dutch Grand Prix alone defines the Hamilton-Leclerc relationship, and they do not establish any wider fallout inside the team. Even so, the fact that the topic has resurfaced again underlines how often Ferrari’s decision-making becomes part of the story whenever both of its drivers are in the mix.

For Ferrari, that matters because a two-driver lineup at the front is as much a management test as a performance one. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are both key drivers for the team, so keeping both drivers aligned is not just about making the fastest split-second call. It is also about preserving confidence, avoiding ambiguity, and convincing both sides that the pit wall can impose order when the race demands it. If those decisions are delayed, even for understandable reasons, they can create doubts about authority that linger well beyond a single Grand Prix.