Ferrari should abandon its equal-driver approach and make Lewis Hamilton the clear leader of its Formula 1 project for 2027, according to former world champion Damon Hill. The Briton believes team principal Fred Vasseur is making a mistake by refusing to prioritise the seven-time world champion over Charles Leclerc, particularly with Hamilton approaching the final stages of his racing career.
Hill’s intervention comes after a closely contested 2026 season between Ferrari’s two drivers, whose internal rivalry has become significantly more competitive under the latest Formula 1 regulations. With the team’s hopes of securing a Drivers’ Championship this year fading, the former champion believes Ferrari must make a decisive choice if it wants to end its title drought next season.
Damon Hill wants Ferrari to make Lewis Hamilton its No. 1 driver
Speaking to the Italian media, Damon Hill suggested that Ferrari’s decision to maintain equal status between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc has created an unnecessary contest for leadership within the team.
Although Hill acknowledged that he did not know exactly what was happening inside Ferrari, he had the impression that the two drivers were competing to establish themselves as the team’s leading figure. In his view, the Scuderia has remained neutral for too long and should decide which driver will receive its primary backing.
The 1996 Formula 1 world champion pointed to the Michael Schumacher era as an example of how Ferrari had previously concentrated its efforts around one driver. During that period, the team directed its attention towards the German as it pursued championship success.
Hill believes a similar commitment to Hamilton could provide greater clarity ahead of 2027, even if such a decision would inevitably be difficult for Charles Leclerc.
The debate comes after Ferrari’s approach to managing the on-track rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc was tested again during the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
Why Damon Hill believes Ferrari should prioritise Lewis Hamilton in 2027
A central argument behind Hill’s proposal concerns the limited time remaining in Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 career compared with that of his younger teammate.
Hamilton will turn 42 in January and is currently contracted to Ferrari only until the end of 2027. Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, recently turned 29 and signed an agreement in June extending his commitment to the Maranello team until at least 2030.
Hill argued that Ferrari had never truly placed Hamilton at the centre of its project since signing him for the 2025 season. He also emphasised that the British driver’s extraordinary career achievements and continued ability to compete at the highest level justified giving him the team’s full support.
In Hill’s assessment, Fred Vasseur should commit to providing Hamilton with everything necessary to challenge for the 2027 Drivers’ Championship.
The former world champion acknowledged that relegating Charles Leclerc to a secondary role would be unfortunate for the Monegasque. However, he believes the younger driver has considerably more time remaining in his career, whereas Ferrari has a much narrower opportunity to pursue another championship with Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc remain closely matched in 2026
The argument for changing Ferrari’s driver hierarchy comes during a season in which neither driver has established an overwhelming advantage over the other.
After the opening 18 rounds of the 23-race 2026 championship, Lewis Hamilton had collected 241 points, compared with Charles Leclerc’s 233. However, the Monegasque held a 10-8 advantage in their qualifying head-to-head, while the teammates were level at 9-9 in Grand Prix finishing comparisons.
Those figures underline how closely matched the two Ferrari drivers have become under the 2026 technical regulations. Their performances can be explored through the Charles Leclerc vs Lewis Hamilton head-to-head statistics, which cover qualifying, race results and championship performance.
The situation contrasts with 2025, when Hamilton struggled to adapt to Ferrari’s working methods during the final season of the ground-effect regulations. The seven-time champion had found that generation of cars particularly difficult, but the new rules introduced for 2026 have allowed him to recover competitiveness and challenge his teammate more consistently.
That improvement is one reason Hill remains convinced that Hamilton can still lead a serious championship campaign.
Ferrari’s title ambitions shift towards 2027 as Mercedes closes in
Lewis Hamilton remains the only Ferrari driver mathematically involved in the 2026 Drivers’ Championship battle heading into the Mexico City Grand Prix, although his chances are extremely limited.
To keep the contest alive, the British driver must win in Mexico and hope that Mercedes championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli fails to score. With the Italian holding a commanding advantage, Ferrari’s attention is increasingly turning towards the possibility of ending its title drought in 2027.
This makes the question of driver leadership particularly important. Fred Vasseur has consistently favoured equal treatment since Hamilton joined Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, maintaining an approach that allows both drivers to compete without a predetermined hierarchy.
However, Hill believes the internal competition has become counterproductive and that committing to one championship leader would give the team a clearer direction.
Charles Leclerc’s long Ferrari history complicates Damon Hill’s proposal
Any decision to prioritise Lewis Hamilton would carry considerable significance for Charles Leclerc, whose relationship with Ferrari extends back more than a decade.
The Monegasque entered the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2016, made his Formula 1 debut with Sauber in 2018 and joined the Scuderia’s race team in 2019. He has since become one of the central figures in Ferrari’s long-term plans.
The 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix marks his 171st race for Ferrari, bringing him closer to Michael Schumacher’s total of 180 appearances in red between 1996 and 2006.
Charles Leclerc has indicated that he is not looking forward to surpassing that particular milestone. Provided he participates in every remaining Grand Prix and no races are cancelled, he is expected to move beyond Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari appearance record at the 2027 Miami Grand Prix in May.
The careers and historical milestones of both drivers can be followed through the Ferrari F1 driver records and statistics database.
Leclerc’s lengthy association with Ferrari and his contract through at least 2030 help explain why the team may be reluctant to establish Hamilton as its undisputed leader.
Nevertheless, Damon Hill sees the situation differently. For the former champion, Ferrari’s immediate priority should be maximising Lewis Hamilton’s remaining opportunity to fight for another world title, even if that means asking Charles Leclerc to accept a supporting role in 2027.
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