Lewis Hamilton arrived at Ferrari expecting a new chapter in his extraordinary Formula 1 career. Instead, the seven-time world champion appears to have discovered that getting behind the wheel of a red car is considerably easier than changing the culture of the team running it.

Speaking ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, Hamilton made little effort to hide his frustration. A planned clear-the-air meeting with Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur and teammate Charles Leclerc had failed to happen, and Hamilton was clearly in no mood to keep quiet.

His biggest gripe? Leclerc races him harder than he races anyone else on the grid. That’s a fairly serious accusation, particularly when your teammate is one of the quickest and most fiercely competitive drivers in Formula 1.

But here’s the awkward bit: what exactly did Hamilton expect?

Leclerc’s aggressive approach is hardly a closely guarded secret. He’s a fast, fearless racer who doesn’t particularly enjoy making life easy for anyone attempting to overtake him. Hamilton should have known that before signing on the dotted line.

And that’s where Ferrari’s real problem begins. The team appears incapable of establishing clear rules of engagement between its drivers. Rather than anticipating trouble, Ferrari seems content to deal with the fallout afterwards.

Michael Schumacher understood this perfectly. His Ferrari contracts reportedly came with clear expectations about team priorities and driver responsibilities. It was ruthless, perhaps, but it helped build a championship-winning operation.

Hamilton, meanwhile, may have underestimated just how difficult it would be to change Ferrari’s internal culture.

Fred Vasseur now has a sizeable headache. Two fiercely competitive drivers, one increasingly frustrated world champion and a team seemingly reluctant to take control.

Hamilton wanted Ferrari to be a fresh start. Instead, he’s discovering that the prancing horse doesn’t necessarily dance to his tune.