With Kimi Antonelli winning the Italian Grand Prix—the first Italian to do so for 60 years—much of the post-race media attention to Ferrari’s lustlustre performance was somewhat mitigated. Yet this race weekend was a complete disaster for the Scuderia in more ways than one.
Firstly, Ferrari had used their second and final ADUO engine upgrade token for this season and brought the revised power unit to Monza, but it proved to be ineffective—even impotent—against the Mercedes powertrain which has dominated the season.
The real test of Ferrari’s efforts to improve their powertrain was evident through the speed trap, where they were 10 km/h slower than Mercedes. While Alpine—whose Pierre Gasly claimed a remarkable pole position—decided to run the traditional skinny Monza low-downforce wing, Ferrari opted to try a clever setup with higher downforce in an attempt to maximise the stability of the SF-26 through high-speed corners like Ascari.
Yet even this decision was to suffer a humiliating end, as Max Verstappen swept round Lewis Hamilton on the outside of Ascari as though he was driving a Super Aguri F1 car (they were very bad).
In his post-race interviews, Fred Vasseur was visibly downbeat, as if he was about to receive a phone call from the group president, John Elkann, telling him his tenure with the Scuderia would be coming to an end.
There were questions over Ferrari’s strategic decision during the virtual safety car, failing to pit Lewis Hamilton for fresher tyres after he had complained two laps earlier he was struggling with his current set. Yet Vasseur was defensive over the decision, stating: “In our case, if we had stopped, we would have found ourselves behind Tsunoda and Gasly and I’m not sure we would have been able to overtake them.” A damning statement on the performance of Ferrari in Monza indeed.
The Battle for Priority
The weekend began with Lewis Hamilton touting the narrative that Ferraris were not working well as a team. This was based on what occurred last time out in Zandvoort, when the strategists for the Scuderia delayed issuing a team order to Leclerc to allow Hamilton through.
The seven-time champion was closing down George Russell on ailing tyres in the closing laps of the race and believes he would have passed him to make the podium without the delayed order. In effect, Lewis was pushing the idea in Monza that he should now be prioritised in the Ferrari garage to be the driver best placed to challenge Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli for the championship.
Yet after the showing in Monza, Lewis is pedaling a pipe dream. Whilst there is a mathematical possibility he could win this year’s title, that’s about as far as it goes. And with Charles Leclerc recently signing a contract to remain with the Scuderia long after Hamilton retires, there’s little hope the team would upset him in some vain attempt to satisfy Hamilton’s ego.
Turn 1 Fireworks
The Ferrari drivers had been evenly matched throughout the Monza weekend, with Leclerc pipping Hamilton to P3 on the grid. In the run-down to Turn 1, Hamilton attempted to reassert his perceived dominance as he took an aggressive line on the inside of his teammate into the chicane.
As the inside of Turn 1 became the outside of Turn 2, it appeared that Charles Leclerc was ahead at the nominally stated apex. This was crucial, meaning he did not have to leave his teammate room on the exit, which he couldn’t anyway due to a snap of oversteer mid-corner. Hamilton was pushed into the gravel and went from P4 to P10 in a matter of seconds. He claimed over team radio he had been pushed off, yet the stewards chose not to investigate the matter.
Over team radio, Hamilton threatened, “We are definitely going to have it on after this race,” although he appeared to have mellowed in the media pen later when he claimed: “I ended up like 10th or something, so there’s not really much to say about it. We’ll take it offline.”
Leclerc was asked about the narrative that the Ferrari pair were not working as a team, and interestingly, he chose to question the source propaganda. “Yeah, I don’t really know who is forcing that narrative that we are one against the other.” The Monegasque revealed there had been extensive talks over the Zandvoort delay in team orders, something clearly driven by Hamilton.
“I mean, honestly, Zandvoort, there were way too many talks already. Here, it’s true, though, that we went too far. I think Lewis in Turn 1, then Turn 2, I tried to do the tightest corner possible, but that was just not enough. And doing it here is not good,” Leclerc concluded.
History Repeating
The suspicion for some is that Hamilton is building the pressure to be given number-one status for this year at Ferrari, something Leclerc will no doubt have protected against in his contract. Lewis has a history of stirring up trouble with his teammates. His first season in F1 with McLaren saw him regularly in dispute with the reigning world champion, Fernando Alonso.
Then there was Jenson Button, who beat his teammate in two of the three seasons they raced together. Hamilton was so furious he’d been disadvantaged by the team at the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix, he tweeted the difference between his and Jenson’s telemetry.
What followed was four more years of turmoil as he moved to Mercedes and Nico Rosberg became the next target of Hamilton’s frustrations.
Hamilton is in the twilight of his F1 career and would be unlikely to get an offer from another top team. His only realistic hope of winning a record eighth world championship is with Ferrari, although realistically this will not happen in 2026
Would you like to see more TJ13 Formula 1 coverage? Add us to your favourites list on Google to receive trusted F1 news.
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
