Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has called on Ferrari to prioritise Lewis Hamilton’s input for 2026, warning that ignoring him risks another title-less season.
The Colombian believes the Scuderia are focusing too much on Charles Leclerc’s feedback to aid its ambitions to return to the front of the grid, instead of using the guidance of the seven-time World Champion.
Hamilton joins Ferrari after 12 seasons with Mercedes, where he claimed six championships in as many years. However, a difficult start to the season has left the Briton questioning himself.
After the Spanish Grand Prix, when asked about finding solutions going forward, he wryly replied that the problems with the car were “probably just me”.
His team-mate, meanwhile, achieved Ferrari’s third podium finish of the season at Barcelona, the Monegasque racing driver crossing the line in third place behind the McLaren pair.
Montoya weighed in on the dynamic between the driver pairing during the AS podcast, MontoyAS. The ex-Williams racing driver expressed doubts over whether Ferrari is currently prioritising Hamilton, but suggested this might shift with the 2026 regulations.
He said: “Not at the moment and the interesting thing is to see if, suddenly, with next year’s car, they pay more attention to what Lewis needs or what Leclerc needs.”
Hamilton the key to Ferrari revival?
Montoya believes Hamilton’s approach offers the best chance for Ferrari to challenge for titles, while Leclerc’s direction may only deliver occasional race wins.
“In my opinion, if they want to be competitive next year, the base of the car has to be more based on Lewis than on Charles,” the 49-year-old explained.
“Because the cars that have been based on Charles are cars that can win one or two races a year, but no [titles].
“And look, under Lewis’ leadership, when they go fast, they find everything very quickly, and he always gives very good direction to what the car needs,” Montoya added, hinting at the success he and his former teams have achieved in the past when his guidance was heeded.
“I think Ferrari is very political and very complicated, and suddenly it surprised Lewis.
“I think Lewis expected that, since he was Lewis, they would do everything he wanted, and we all expected this, but egos are a very complicated thing.”
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