David Coulthard believes Ferrari’s greatest strength could also be creating one of its biggest strategic problems, arguing that the presence of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc can sometimes work against the wider interests of the team. The former Formula 1 driver highlighted the Singapore Grand Prix as an example of how Ferrari’s reluctance to prioritise one driver at a crucial moment may have prevented it from extracting the maximum from two different tyre strategies.
On paper, Ferrari possesses one of Formula 1’s strongest driver pairings, backed by a reported combined wage bill of £86.5 million. However, the team has declined to establish a permanent number-one driver, leaving both Hamilton and Leclerc free to pursue their own opportunities. That approach has created difficult decisions for the pit wall when their strategies overlap, as was again evident at Marina Bay.
David Coulthard questions Ferrari’s handling of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc
Ferrari attempted to use different strategies for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in Singapore as it searched for a way to challenge pole-sitter Max Verstappen. Leclerc ultimately finished on the podium, while Hamilton’s race unravelled after he chose not to pit during a Virtual Safety Car period.
The decision to remain on track was costly, but Coulthard believes Ferrari’s strategic difficulties had started much earlier. Hamilton had stopped before his teammate and was running on the quicker tyres, creating an opportunity for the team to reverse the order temporarily and allow him to exploit his tyre advantage.
Instead, Ferrari left Leclerc ahead. Coulthard argued that both drivers were experienced enough to understand a temporary team instruction and that the pit wall should have asked the Monegasque not to delay his teammate. Hamilton could then have used the faster rubber to build whatever advantage was available before Ferrari reconsidered the running order later in the race.
The broader sequence formed part of a complicated afternoon examined in the Ferrari Singapore GP strategy and technical analysis, where the decision to split the tyre programmes initially created an opportunity but ultimately left the two cars working against each other.
Hamilton strategy scenario could have changed the Singapore race
Coulthard also wondered whether an earlier position swap could have altered Hamilton’s later decision under the Virtual Safety Car. Had the seven-time world champion been given the opportunity to exploit his fresh tyres fully, the shape of his race might have developed differently.
In the event, the neutralisation eventually benefited Leclerc instead. Hamilton stayed out rather than taking the opportunity to change tyres, a decision that left him trying to reach the chequered flag on ageing rubber. The reasons behind Lewis Hamilton’s decision to remain on track in Singapore became one of the major strategic talking points after the race.
For Coulthard, the central problem is not the ability of Ferrari’s drivers. He considers both Hamilton and Leclerc mature and exceptionally quick, but believes having two drivers of that level can become a disadvantage when the team hesitates to make decisions designed around the overall race result.
Leclerc nevertheless converted Ferrari’s performance into second place, providing another encouraging result during a weekend in which the SF-26 showed genuine potential. His Singapore podium also offered Ferrari encouragement ahead of Austin, even though the team was left considering whether a stronger combined result had been available.
Ferrari pit wall faces pressure to establish greater authority
The Singapore episode also followed another occasion on which Hamilton made his own strategic judgement from the cockpit. At Sepang, the Briton chose to remain on track in damp conditions, and that call ultimately worked as he recovered to a podium finish.
One week later, however, taking control of the decision again produced the opposite outcome. Hamilton declined the Singapore pit call and his tyre strategy ultimately cost him the opportunity to maximise the result.
The contrast between those races has intensified the debate over how much authority should rest with the driver and how much should remain on the Ferrari pit wall. Driver feedback is essential when conditions and tyre behaviour are changing rapidly, but the team also has access to the broader strategic picture and must decide when a direct instruction is necessary.
The pattern of Ferrari’s stops, tyre choices and strategic decisions across the season can be explored further through the Ferrari Pit Stop & Strategy Statistics.
Ferrari must find the balance between two leading drivers
The wider concern is that Ferrari has not always imposed enough authority from the pit wall when its two drivers’ interests have conflicted. The team needs to listen carefully to Hamilton and Leclerc, but it must also ensure that individual decisions do not compromise the overall result when the two cars are pursuing complementary strategies.
The Singapore Grand Prix provided a clear example of the dilemma. Ferrari had two fast drivers, two different strategic opportunities and the pace to fight near the front, yet Coulthard believes the team’s reluctance to intervene decisively ultimately worked against the greater competitive objective.
If Ferrari is to maximise one of the strongest driver pairings on the grid, the challenge will be to preserve the freedom that allows Hamilton and Leclerc to perform at their best while establishing enough authority from the pit wall to make difficult calls when their races intersect.
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