Anthony Davidson has warned Ferrari against automatically making Lewis Hamilton its number one driver, arguing that the seven-time Formula 1 world champion must establish his position through results rather than reputation. The former British driver believes Charles Leclerc’s performances deserve equal consideration and has challenged Damon Hill’s suggestion that Ferrari should establish a clear hierarchy in Hamilton’s favour.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ The F1 Show following the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix, Davidson questioned whether assigning leadership to Hamilton would be justified when the two Ferrari drivers remain closely matched in the championship. Although the Briton currently holds a 12-point advantage over his teammate, Davidson believes the decision should be determined by their performances on track rather than the number of world titles they have won.
Anthony Davidson warns Ferrari against favouring Lewis Hamilton over Charles Leclerc
The discussion surrounding Ferrari’s internal driver hierarchy has intensified as the team continues to manage two established Formula 1 competitors. With Lewis Hamilton bringing seven world championships to Maranello and Charles Leclerc having already demonstrated his speed within the Scuderia, the question of which driver should receive priority remains a subject of debate.
Anthony Davidson believes the answer should come from their performances rather than a decision imposed by team management.
The former Formula 1 driver explained that becoming the leading driver within a team is something that must be achieved through results. In his view, reputation and previous accomplishments are not sufficient reasons to establish a permanent hierarchy when both teammates are competing at a high level.
Davidson was particularly uncomfortable with the possibility of Ferrari granting Hamilton priority regardless of how Charles Leclerc performs. He emphasised the Monegasque driver’s speed, including the level he demonstrated during the previous season, as a reason why automatically placing him in a supporting role would be difficult to justify.
Such an arrangement would effectively require Leclerc to finish behind his teammate irrespective of their respective positions or performances, an approach Davidson strongly opposed.
The debate also reflects wider questions surrounding Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s positions within Ferrari, particularly how the team balances the experience of its seven-time world champion with the established strengths of its Monegasque driver.
Why Anthony Davidson believes Max Verstappen earned number one status at Red Bull
To explain his argument, Anthony Davidson highlighted Max Verstappen’s position within Red Bull as an example of how a Formula 1 driver can establish himself as the clear team leader.
According to Davidson, the Dutchman’s status developed through his superiority on track rather than through a hierarchy established before the competition began. Verstappen repeatedly demonstrated a level of performance that made his position within the team difficult to challenge.
The former British driver argued that this is how a driver should earn the leading role. Consistently outperforming a teammate provides the justification for receiving priority, whereas assigning that status based on past achievements alone risks overlooking the performance of the other driver. Davidson believes the same principle should apply to Ferrari. If Hamilton establishes a convincing advantage over Leclerc through his results, that would provide a sporting basis for considering him the team’s leading driver.
However, without a genuine difference in performance, Davidson sees no justification for creating an arrangement that would automatically place one Ferrari driver ahead of the other.
Anthony Davidson disagrees with Damon Hill over Ferrari’s number one driver
Davidson’s comments followed a contrasting assessment from former Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill, who suggested Ferrari should make a definitive decision about its driver hierarchy.
Hill believes establishing Lewis Hamilton as the team’s number one driver could help resolve the problems facing the Maranello outfit. His proposal would give Ferrari a clearly defined leading driver rather than leaving the internal order open to competition.
Anthony Davidson disagreed with that approach, particularly because of the implications for Charles Leclerc.In Davidson’s assessment, Ferrari should not create a situation in which Leclerc is expected to accept a secondary position regardless of how well he performs. The former driver maintained that any such decision must be supported by a meaningful performance advantage.
The disagreement highlights two different approaches to managing Ferrari’s driver partnership. Damon Hill favours establishing a defined hierarchy around Hamilton, while Davidson believes the drivers should be allowed to determine their relative positions through competition.
The question is particularly relevant given the attention surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s experience in his Ferrari rivalry with Charles Leclerc, with the two drivers bringing different strengths to the team’s internal battle.
Lewis Hamilton leads Charles Leclerc by 12 points after Brazilian GP
The current Drivers’ Championship standings provide an important backdrop to the discussion, although the difference between Ferrari’s two drivers remains relatively small.
Following the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton occupies fourth place in the championship with 261 points. Charles Leclerc sits fifth on 249 points, leaving the seven-time world champion 12 points ahead of his teammate.
Hamilton therefore holds the advantage in the standings, but Davidson does not believe that margin alone justifies granting him permanent number one status. Both Ferrari drivers also endured difficult circumstances at Interlagos. Hamilton started the Brazilian Grand Prix from twentieth position following a power unit replacement but recovered to finish ninth.
Leclerc, meanwhile, was classified eighth after dropping from seventh because of a five-second penalty imposed following the race. The result meant that neither driver was able to make substantial progress towards the leading championship positions, leaving their internal points difference at 12.
Ferrari’s season-long driver comparison can be examined in greater detail through the Charles Leclerc versus Lewis Hamilton head-to-head statistics, which provide a wider perspective on the battle between the two teammates.
Should Ferrari establish a clear driver hierarchy?
The disagreement between Anthony Davidson and Damon Hill centres on whether Ferrari would benefit more from appointing a leading driver or allowing its two competitors to continue establishing their positions through performance.
For Davidson, the issue is not whether Lewis Hamilton possesses the experience or achievements required to lead Ferrari. Rather, it is whether those credentials should automatically take precedence over the results achieved by Charles Leclerc.
The former British driver remains convinced that the number one role must be earned, with his argument placing particular emphasis on protecting fair competition between teammates. Ferrari has also faced questions surrounding the relationship between its drivers, with team principal Fred Vasseur previously addressing how Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc resolved their differences.
With only 12 points separating Hamilton and Leclerc after the Brazilian Grand Prix, their championship positions provide no overwhelming distinction between the two.
For Davidson, that reinforces his central argument: Ferrari should allow its drivers to demonstrate who deserves priority rather than establish an internal hierarchy based primarily on Hamilton’s reputation and seven world championships.
Leave a Reply