Juan Pablo Montoya believes Ferrari should now establish a clear driver hierarchy and make Lewis Hamilton its number-one driver ahead of Charles Leclerc. In the Colombian’s view, what happened at the start of the 2026 Italian Grand Prix at Monza has removed any remaining doubt over the decision Frédéric Vasseur and John Elkann should make.
Lewis Hamilton currently has 76 points to recover on Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the championship but holds a 36-point advantage over Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque recorded his third non-score of the season at Monza, with the Italian Grand Prix retirement his second caused by one of his own errors after the earlier incident in Monaco.
Juan Pablo Montoya says Ferrari must choose Lewis Hamilton as No.1
For Juan Pablo Montoya, the events at Monza have created the ideal opportunity for Ferrari to settle the question of its driver hierarchy once and for all.
“What happened at the start of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza is the best thing that could have happened to Ferrari. Now there are no longer any doubts that a decision has to be made and about who should be the number-one driver of the Maranello team.”
His comments add to the debate surrounding Ferrari’s handling of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc after a Monza weekend that again brought the relationship between the two drivers and the team’s approach to orders into focus.
Juan Pablo Montoya believes the championship standings now provide Ferrari with a clear basis for making that decision. Lewis Hamilton remains significantly closer to Andrea Kimi Antonelli than Charles Leclerc, while also holding a sizeable advantage over his team-mate.
Montoya wants Frédéric Vasseur and John Elkann involved
Speaking to BetBrothers, Juan Pablo Montoya argued that the matter should not be left solely to the drivers and called for both Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur and chairman John Elkann to become directly involved.
“Frédéric Vasseur has to call the drivers together in Italy and John Elkann also has to be involved,” Juan Pablo Montoya said. “They have to make it clear that, in light of the situation, Lewis Hamilton must be the number-one driver.”
It is not the first time Juan Pablo Montoya has argued that Ferrari needs to make a firm decision over its priorities. The former Formula 1 driver has already highlighted what he sees as a growing problem for Charles Leclerc in his battle with Lewis Hamilton, with the seven-time world champion holding the stronger championship position after Monza.
Montoya points to Ferrari’s history with clear driver hierarchies
Juan Pablo Montoya also backed an observation previously made by Damon Hill, arguing that Ferrari’s most successful Formula 1 periods have traditionally featured a clearly defined lead driver supported by a team-mate in a secondary role.
“What Damon Hill said is true,” Juan Pablo Montoya added. “Every time Ferrari has managed to dominate and be successful, it has been when it had a clear number-one driver and a supporting driver.”
Juan Pablo Montoya therefore sees the situation after Monza as an opportunity rather than simply another internal problem for Ferrari. His position is that the championship picture now gives Frédéric Vasseur and John Elkann enough justification to establish Lewis Hamilton as the team’s priority, rather than continuing with equal status between the seven-time world champion and Charles Leclerc.
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