Lewis Hamilton has declared it “far too late” for Ferrari to prioritise him over teammate Charles Leclerc in the Formula 1 drivers’ championship. The seven-time world champion made the comments after a difficult Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where he finished sixth while Mercedes claimed a dominant one-two finish.
Hamilton started the race from fourth on the grid. On the opening lap he became entangled with Leclerc at the exit of the first chicane and was forced onto the grass, dropping him down the order. Leclerc later suffered a high-speed crash at the Parabolica that brought out a red flag. Once the race restarted, Hamilton could not climb back into contention for a podium. He crossed the line in sixth place, behind both McLarens.
Championship Picture After Monza
The result left Hamilton further adrift in the standings. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who produced a remarkable drive from 19th on the grid to win the race, now leads Hamilton by 76 points. George Russell, who finished second for Mercedes, sits ten points clear of his former teammate. Before the race Hamilton had been level on points with Russell.
Hamilton reflected on the growing gap with a mixture of realism and determination. “I think from today, we’ve just lost so much ground to [Mercedes] on points,” he said. “It’s far too late for those decisions to come. It’s too late. All I can do is just try and turn up. I’ll get up tomorrow morning and I’ll give it my best.”
He added that the points deficit, combined with Mercedes’ superior pace, makes a successful title challenge extremely difficult. “It’s never over until it’s over. I don’t know how many points it is now, but I’m sure it’s 60, 70. It’s an amount that, with the pace that they have, it’s a very, very difficult amount to close out.”
Team Dynamics Under Scrutiny
Questions about whether Ferrari should favour one driver over the other have surfaced at various points this season. Similar discussions arose after the Dutch Grand Prix. Hamilton’s comments at Monza suggest he believes any formal prioritisation would now have limited impact on the championship outcome.
The opening-lap incident with Leclerc highlighted the ongoing challenge of managing two competitive drivers in the same team. Hamilton has previously spoken about the need for clearer communication and better race execution within Ferrari. After the Italian Grand Prix he reiterated that continuing on the same path would produce the same results.
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur indicated after the race that the team would review its approach. With Leclerc now more than 100 points behind Antonelli, the practical case for supporting Hamilton more strongly has grown. Whether that shift materialises, and how effectively it can be implemented with ten rounds still remaining, remains to be seen.
Mercedes Strengthen Their Grip
Antonelli’s victory from near the back of the grid underlined Mercedes’ current advantage. The young Italian has led the championship for much of the season and continues to deliver under pressure. Russell’s second place completed a strong weekend for the Silver Arrows and further complicated Hamilton’s hopes of closing the gap.
Hamilton had arrived at Ferrari’s home race hoping for a stronger result. The combination of the early collision, the subsequent red-flag period and a lack of straight-line speed left him unable to challenge for a top-three finish. He described the afternoon as one of the harder results to accept this season.
Looking Ahead
Despite the setback, Hamilton insisted he would continue to give maximum effort in every remaining race. Experience has taught him that championships can shift dramatically, yet he was clear-eyed about the scale of the task facing Ferrari. Mercedes currently possess the quicker car, and the points gap has widened at a critical stage of the campaign.
The Italian Grand Prix often serves as a pivotal moment in the Formula 1 season. For Hamilton and Ferrari it proved a frustrating home event that has made the path to an eighth world title significantly steeper. The Briton’s message was unambiguous: any decision to prioritise one driver over the other should have come much earlier. Now the focus simply shifts to extracting the maximum from each remaining weekend.
Hamilton will line up again in the next race determined to keep pushing. Whether Ferrari can close the performance gap to Mercedes, and whether internal strategy can still influence the outcome, will shape the rest of his 2026 campaign.
