Fred Vasseur warned over Ferrari driver fallout: 'Don't think he could manage it'

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer has questioned Fred Vasseur’s ability to manage potential tension between his two Ferrari drivers.

The partnership between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc has been relatively calm so far, as Ferrari continues its efforts to become more competitive.

However, both drivers are aiming for their first titles with the Italian squad but have so far been unable to consistently challenge front-runners Mercedes.

Should Ferrari develop its way to the front of the grid, Palmer has suggested the intra-team battle between Hamilton and Leclerc could become heated.

“There's a bit of ego there as well, there's ego in everyone,” Palmer told the F1 Nation podcast.

“You've got to not be accepting second place, you've got to be thinking, 'I'm the best, this is my title'.

“Leclerc and Hamilton, you've got a guy that's won seven, you've got a generational talent that hasn't yet won one. 

“I don't think there's a way that Fred could manage it, if they're even on pace and they have the best car like that.

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Intra-team battles are nothing new in F1, with recent examples ranging from the hostility between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at Mercedes and last year's docile affair between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at McLaren.

Toto Wolff's strict management at Mercedes extended as far as threatening to sack both of his drivers - but it's not a situation Palmer sees as realistic.

“We had examples of Nico Rosberg saying that they had to foot the bill after Barcelona [in 2016] or some incidents,” Palmer said.

“Toto said 'maybe we should have benched them for a race' and that was the last threat. 

“He's never going to get to after Barcelona and say, 'right, we're going to put in two reserve drivers'. 

“You can't put one reserve driver in. How unfair is that? So these things are pie in the sky. They're not doable when you're actually in position.

“On top of that, you've got all sorts of contracts in place. Ultimately, if the characters are there, it's unavoidable for a team principal.”