The 2026 Formula One season promised so much for Ferrari as they emerged at the season opener in Australia as the closest rivals to Mercedes by some margin. Whilst Leclerc and Hamilton finished the Grand Prix in Melbourne 15 and 16 seconds behind the Mercedes duo respectively, the fifth place finisher, Lando Norris, was a massive 51 seconds back at the chequered flag.
The Scuderia have been second in the constructors’ championship ever since then and were the first team to take a win from the all-conquering Mercedes. In Barcelona, George Russell claimed pole and the lead of the race in the opening laps, yet with tyres degrading far worse than expected, Ferrari were quick thinking with their strategy and switched Lewis Hamilton on to a three-stop race by lap 28.
Mercedes ploughed on with their two-stop plans and by the final round of stops, Hamilton had overtaken George Russell in the pit lane exchanges. The win was dominant as Lewis came home almost 20 seconds ahead of his Mercedes rival.
This was the seven-time champion’s first win for Ferrari and his first since Belgium back in 2024. Two race weekends later at the British Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc stole the lead at the start of the race and when a late safety car was deployed, he came home ahead of the field for the Scuderia’s second win of the season.
With just 78 points between Mercedes and Ferrari, and two wins from three, hopes were high in Maranello and within the Italian media. However, the next six race weekends would see the iconic red team fade, with just one second-place podium and two retirements. It was McLaren now challenging Mercedes with wins for Lando Norris in Hungary and the Netherlands.
Rising Tensions and Monza Friction
The current world champion was also robbed of a win at the all-new circuit in Madrid, when he was the only driver unable to benefit from a virtual safety car – handing the win to Kimi Antonelli. This period of Ferrari’s fading results coincided with Lewis Hamilton upping the ante and calling for the team to name him the challenger to Kimi Antonelli.
His initial oblique references to “improving teamwork” over three weeks became a blunt message to team boss Fred Vasseur by early September. At Ferrari’s home race in Monza, Hamilton had upped the pressure again, particularly as Kimi Antonelli would be starting at the back of the grid following an engine penalty.
Lewis was critical of the team not prioritising him with a tow during qualifying. “I think at the end was that there was no… The team was solely focused on trying to get an equal tow for each driver, and we just stumbled,” Hamilton said. “We’re at a point in the year where 59 points is a huge deficit to recover from, especially when Mercedes continue to be the leaders in speed. And so, we do have to work as a team.”
In a long-winded ramble, Hamilton went on to suggest the Scuderia had not been working as a team and wondered “when that would ever change, we’ll find out. But all I can do is just try to arrive and do the best job I can.” Then when pushed on whether Ferrari should name him as their number one contender, Lewis was blunt replying “Yeah.”
He then complimented the engineers, the designers, the trackside mechanics before concluding: “But also at the track we need to come correct and act accordingly to make sure we get the results we need.”
As it panned out, Italy did celebrate in Monza, but because an Italian driving for Mercedes made one of the most remarkable comebacks to win the sport has ever seen. Charles Leclerc crashed out on lap one and Hamilton faded to a lowly sixth-place finish.
Singapore Strategy Turmoil
Since Monza, Hamilton has finished just once ahead of his team mate and Leclerc has steadily closed a once 46-point gap between the pair to just 14 points following the Singapore Grand Prix. The seven-time champion has become increasingly irritated with Ferrari’s choices, claiming at the wet start in Malaysia he wanted to start on the intermediate tyre but the team decided otherwise.
Then in Singapore, Hamilton who had qualified third behind Leclerc in second was handed the slower medium tyre as Ferrari split the race strategy to challenge pole sitter Max Verstappen. Leclerc started on the quicker soft tyre and for a while challenged the Red Bull driver for the lead of the race.
Realising Hamilton was losing race time to Verstappen and his team mate, Ferrari switched him early from the medium tyre to the soft and with 42 laps of the race remaining it was clear his strategy was now a two-stopper.
As Lewis raced through the field he arrived on the tail of his team mate who remained on the tyres he had started the race and his lap time prior to catching Charles was around two seconds a lap quicker than the Monegasque.
Despite pleading several times for Ferrari to instruct Leclerc to let him through and continue his pursuit, the call came to Lewis to ‘hold station.’ On lap 39 a virtual safety car was deployed whilst the marshalls removed the stricken Aston Martin of Lance Stroll.
Having toiled away for more than ten laps behind his team mate, Hamilton took the decision not to pit for his second stop and gain track position over his team mate. It proved a disastrous decision as Leclerc on the unfavoured yellow tyre quickly caught him and overtook the ailing Hamilton.
Then several seconds a lap slower than the rest of the front runners, Lewis was passed by Antonelli and Norris and on the last lap Oscar Piastri. Hamilton avoided all media duties by admitting himself to the medical centre for treatment after the race, but did issue an apology over team radio for his poor strategic decision.
Team boss Fred Vasseur was pressed over why Hamilton failed to pit for fresh rubber after the race and in somewhat irritated fashion he stated: “We called two cars. ‘Guys, you pit behind the VSC.’ One of my guys said, ‘no, I prefer to stay on track’. He said, ‘I missed the pit entry’. Don’t blame the team.”
Yet it was clearly the strange decision by Ferrari not to order Leclerc aside when Hamilton was on fresher rubber, which drove the decision from the seven-time champion to take matters into his own hands.
The Italian Media Reacts
The Italian media is now turning on Lewis Hamilton, with Giorgio Terruzzi writing today in Corriere Della Sera that Lewis is “a cumbersome presence inside the team, on the track, capable of interfering on every competitive aspect, of making some bad impression.” He continues to praise Leclerc for finishing ahead of his team mate in 6 of the last 9 races, but warns of the “intense confrontation inside Ferrari.”
All this is a far cry from the hero status Hamilton was afforded, following his first win for Ferrari in Barcelona. There have also been recent other Italian reports that Hamilton’s relationship with Fred Vasseur has become strained, following him demanding the Ferrari team boss be more decisive over team orders.
Ferrari are 112 points clear of Red Bull Racing with six race weekends remaining this season. Yet with Max Verstappen looking imperious in recent weeks and Isack Hadjar scoring strong points – when his engine works – it’s not impossible that the Milton Keynes team could overhaul Ferrari in the run-in for the constructors’ championship. Then what would the Italian press have to say
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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.
