Ferrari have been instructed to prioritise Lewis Hamilton because the staff’s “solely likelihood” of beating Mercedes within the 2026 F1 title struggle by former race engineer Rob Smedley. Regardless of Charles Leclerc’s win at Silverstone final trip, Smedley argues the Briton is the Scuderia’s finest shot at their first title since 2008.
After a robust begin to the 2026 season for Hamilton, securing his maiden Ferrari win in Barcelona after two consecutive P2 completed in Montreal and Monaco, Leclerc lastly responded with a win of his personal on the British GP.
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Fortune might need favoured the Monegasque – with Kimi Antonelli struggling late injury, and Max Verstappen’s Lap 48 crash bringing out an all-important Security Automotive – however Leclerc he can nonetheless be no less than an equal to the seven-time world champion, who completed P3.
Smedley urges Ferrari to prioritise Hamilton
Photograph: Race Photos
Photograph: Race Photos
Smedley, nevertheless, is satisfied the Italian squad have already got to start out prioritising Hamilton, with the Briton sitting P3 within the standings, solely 32 factors off Antonelli’s championship lead after 9 rounds of racing.
When requested on the Excessive Efficiency Racing podcast whether or not Ferrari might have swapped the automobiles in the course of the British GP, Smedley, who labored at Ferrari from 2004 to 2013, most notably as Felipe Massa’s race engineer, replied: “100% agree with that.
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“Nevertheless, I’m going to go in opposition to my very own sense of logic and say I really assume that doing one thing as excessive as that’s the solely likelihood Ferrari has of profitable this world championship.”
Citing Ferrari’s general lack of tempo in contrast with Mercedes, and the on-track battles Hamilton and Leclerc have already had this season, in China or Austria for example, Smedley argued giving equal therapy to their driver pairing “considerably diminishes” their likelihood on the drivers’ title.
Smedley was a part of the staff at Ferrari once they final gained the constructors’ title in 2008, and whereas on the opposite aspect of the storage, Kimi Raikkonen was the final to win the drivers’ championship in purple the yr prior.
He added: “I feel that in the event that they play the sport of making an attempt to outpace Mercedes in automobile phrases, after which they play the sport of permitting the drivers to race one another with such an enormous hole between Lewis and Charles, the likelihood considerably diminishes for them to win the drivers’ world championship.
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“So, I feel that though it goes in opposition to my logic, there are too many variables arising. So why would you ever do it? However I feel that’s the one and solely technique that they have of Lewis profitable this world championship.”
Toto Wolff warns Ferrari will problem Mercedes for ‘remainder of the F1 season’
Photograph: Race Photos
Photograph: Race Photos
In the meantime, Toto Wolff has mentioned he expects Ferrari to problem championship leaders Mercedes “for the remainder of the season,” after Leclerc’s first win of 2026 at Silverstone final week.
Talking to media, together with GPblog, Wolff was requested whether or not he was stunned by Ferrari’s efficiency, significantly given their weaknesses on straight-line velocity and Silverstone’s energy-starved nature.
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He mentioned: “Properly, we have to take a look at ourselves. They mentioned earlier than the weekend that they are going to be missing vitality over this observe. They have not. They have been a robust competitor and that is to be anticipated now for the remainder of the season.”
