Ferrari’s list of things to avoid: Why Maranello must learn from McLaren’s past mistakes. Ferrari must avoid repeating McLaren’s biggest title mistake.

The 2026 Formula 1 World Championship has officially completed its opening third of the season at Montmeló. While it might seem premature to map out definitive title race dynamics, in our modest opinion, it is a conversation that must happen immediately. We only need to look back at how McLaren managed their recent campaigns. They started the season as the fourth-fastest team, but developmental missteps by Red Bull and Ferrari opened the door for them to mount a spectacular comeback, eventually securing the Constructors’ Championship without ever truly unsettling individual champion Max Verstappen.

Lando Norris made a monumental leap following the Japanese Grand Prix that year, stringing together a second-place finish in China, a historic victory in Miami, and another runner-up trophy at Imola. However, McLaren famously refused to officially designate a number-one driver. Consequently, by the time the team found the relentless consistency required to fight for victories weekend in and weekend out in the final stretch of the year, the points deficit to Max Verstappen was simply too wide to apply any meaningful championship pressure.

Scuderia Ferrari cannot afford to replicate that exact operational blunder. Following the first third of the 2026 season, Lewis Hamilton trails championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli by 41 points. Even if this conversation feels early, given the devastating raw pace of the Mercedes package, it would already be a sporting miracle if Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton can drag this title fight down to the final races. A 41-point deficit is a massive hurdle, let alone the 81-point chasm currently facing Charles Leclerc.

What we expect from Ferrari management

This reality does not mean that Charles Leclerc should abandon his own ambitions for race victories. In our view, the upper management in Maranello should take both drivers out to dinner and lay out the ground rules face-to-face. First and foremost, given the massive step in performance unlocked by the SF-26 compared to the opening round of the year, targeting the Constructors’ Championship is a legitimate and mandatory objective—which, considering George Russell’s volatile form, is far from utopian. Beyond that goal, Ferrari must ensure they always maximize their collective points haul. If Lewis Hamilton has the pace to fight for the win, he must be structurally positioned to do so, and the exact same protocol must apply if Charles Leclerc finds himself in that leading window.

The single most critical mistake to avoid is allowing Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to aggressively take points off one another on track. If one car is fighting for the podium while the sister car is stranded outside the top five, the team must simply secure the maximum points available. However, when the two drivers find themselves running in close proximity, directly wheel-to-wheel, Hamilton should be given the strategic advantage based on the current standings.

The 2026 season is shaping up to be an utterly chaotic year packed with unpredictable twists, much like the technical drama we witnessed in Barcelona, and it will continue to be shaped by mechanical failures and unexpected retirements. From this exact moment onward, nothing can be taken for granted. Maranello must seize every single operational loophole. The championship standings can undergo a complete realignment in the span of just three or four races.

This strategy does not mean freezing out Charles Leclerc

The most difficult human element of this plan will undoubtedly be sitting down with Charles Leclerc to explain that he may have to assume a supporting role depending on the specific track scenario. Unfortunately, this is simply the direction the championship has taken, and the data does not lie. However, this does not mean the competitive balance cannot flip entirely on its head before the season concludes. While Charles Leclerc has made costly unforced errors in recent qualifying sessions, the vast majority of his massive points deficit stems directly from terminal mechanical issues during Sunday’s main events.

More reliability failures are guaranteed to strike the grid as the year progresses. Just as they will inevitably impact Mercedes, they will eventually hit Lewis Hamilton’s side of the garage as well. If the Monegasque driver can consistently put his car on the podium in those chaotic moments and capitalize heavily on any off-weekends from his veteran teammate, then the entire internal team hierarchy will be wide open for debate once again. Until that tipping point arrives, however, Lewis Hamilton must be the driver who enjoys the baseline privileges of Ferrari’s strategic focus.

Ferrari must therefore prioritize the driver with the clear mathematical advantage in order to pose a genuine threat to Mercedes. By managing Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton with firm authority, the Scuderia can maximize their point hauls and avoid the strategic pitfalls that derailed previous championship contenders.