Otmar Szafnauer is right to warn Ferrari against weakening Charles Leclerc’s position alongside Lewis Hamilton as the team pursues Mercedes.
Ferrari has the driver pairing every Formula 1 team wants, with two proven winners ready to capitalize whenever Mercedes falters. The Scuderia should resist creating an unnecessary hierarchy between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
Szafnauer’s warning deserves attention
Former Formula 1 team principal Otmar Szafnauer has urged Ferrari to leave Leclerc alone during his contest with Hamilton. It is sound advice, rather than a call to favor the Monegasque driver.
Ferrari should offer both men an equal competitive opportunity unless the championship mathematics eventually demand intervention. Managing tension comes with running an elite team. Suppressing it too soon risks harming performance and trust.
Both drivers have delivered
The 2026 evidence offers no reason to reduce either driver to a supporting role. Hamilton won the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. Three weeks later, Leclerc prevailed at the British Grand Prix.
Their other results reinforce that case. Hamilton has podium finishes in China, Canada, Monaco and Britain. Leclerc reached the podium in Australia, Japan and Belgium, where he finished second to Kimi Antonelli at Spa by 1.952 seconds.
Ferrari has two credible routes to race victories, and closing one prematurely would make the team easier to beat.
Mercedes remains the real problem
Internal drama can distract from the competitive reality. Mercedes drivers have won eight of the opening 11 Grands Prix, with Antonelli taking six victories and George Russell two. Ferrari has won twice, while McLaren’s Lando Norris claimed the other victory in Hungary.
That gap must set Ferrari’s priorities. The team needs cleaner execution and sustained development, while extracting maximum points from both cars. It does not need a political fight over which garage receives institutional protection.
Equality still requires firm rules
Equal status cannot mean unmanaged racing. Ferrari should set clear boundaries:
- Never compromise one driver’s strategy merely to shield the other.
- Let them race while points remain realistically available to both.
- Prohibit avoidable contact and apply consequences consistently.
- Use team orders solely when there is a clear championship benefit.
Those principles protect Ferrari without creating a designated number one. They also give fans the contest they want, with elite drivers deciding their order through performance rather than executive preference.
Ferrari should embrace its advantage
Hamilton’s arrival did not erase Leclerc’s standing. Leclerc’s long Ferrari tenure does not grant him automatic priority, either. Their results explain why both drivers belong at the center of the project.
Formula 1 returns for the Dutch Grand Prix from August 21-23, and Ferrari should use its driver rivalry as competitive fuel. Mercedes is setting the standard. Weakening either red car would only assist the team Ferrari must catch.
