Maurizio Arrivabene has made clear that his loyalties would remain with Charles Leclerc and Ferrari if the second half of the 2026 Formula 1 season develops into a championship battle against Mercedes leader Kimi Antonelli. The former Ferrari team principal discussed the prospect alongside Luigi Mazzola, while both men also assessed how Frédéric Vasseur should manage Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton inside the team.
Ferrari increasingly appears to be the team best placed to challenge Mercedes, particularly after Charles Leclerc’s improved form. Speaking on Race Anatomy, Maurizio Arrivabene and former Ferrari engineer Luigi Mazzola examined both the Scuderia’s championship prospects and the internal balance between its two drivers following a tense phase of the Belgian Grand Prix.
Ferrari emerges as Mercedes’ main challenger after Spa
Spa-Francorchamps had been expected to expose some of the SF-26’s weaknesses, yet Ferrari still left Belgium with Charles Leclerc in second place and Lewis Hamilton fourth. The outcome strengthened the belief that the second half of the season could produce a much closer contest, as detailed in Ferrari’s Belgian Grand Prix review.
According to the scenario outlined during the discussion, Ferrari also has more room than Mercedes within its remaining development budget because it spent less on the original specification of the SF-26. The relationship between Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and Ferrari counterpart Frédéric Vasseur was additionally described as having reached a particularly strained point.
The Maranello car now appears capable of challenging Mercedes more consistently. Ferrari is expected to introduce its third major upgrade package at the Dutch Grand Prix, while the ADUO 2 power-unit development could reportedly be ready for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. If those developments deliver the intended progress, the championship picture could change significantly.
Ferrari’s performance in Belgium was particularly encouraging because Charles Leclerc believed the Scuderia had been close to an even better result. The Monegasque driver identified the specific areas in which he felt Ferrari lost the opportunity to win at Spa-Francorchamps.
Maurizio Arrivabene chooses Charles Leclerc and Ferrari
Asked which side he would support in a possible championship contest between Kimi Antonelli and Ferrari, Maurizio Arrivabene left no doubt about his preference.
“Between Antonelli and Ferrari in the championship? In any case, my heart will belong to Ferrari for life. I have enormous respect for Kimi because even today he produced a masterpiece, but he has time because he is young. I support Leclerc and Ferrari,” Maurizio Arrivabene commented.
The situation could create divided emotions among Italian Formula 1 supporters. Kimi Antonelli has given Italy the prospect of seeing one of its own drivers fight for the World Championship, while Ferrari is attempting to end its own long wait for another title. After Kimi Antonelli’s victory in Belgium, the Mercedes driver holds a 45-point advantage over Lewis Hamilton at the top of the standings.
Kimi Antonelli’s Spa performance demonstrated why he has become the central figure in Mercedes’ title campaign. The difficulties he overcame on his way to victory are explored in the analysis of Kimi Antonelli’s Belgian Grand Prix win.
Lewis Hamilton’s penalty complicated Ferrari’s decision
The discussion then moved to Ferrari’s management of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton during the Belgian Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton received a five-second penalty following his contact with George Russell, but the two Ferrari drivers later found themselves running close together on track.
Maurizio Arrivabene believed Ferrari should have informed Lewis Hamilton immediately about the penalty. Given the five-second sanction, the former team principal suggested that he might have allowed the British driver to pass Charles Leclerc in that specific situation. Under normal circumstances, however, he would have permitted the two Ferrari drivers to race.
“Hamilton should have been told about the penalty immediately. Probably, because of the five seconds, I would have let the Englishman through, but in any other situation absolutely not. Let them go and fight. Enzo Ferrari always said that your first opponent is your team-mate,” Maurizio Arrivabene explained.
Lewis Hamilton’s race had already been complicated by the contact and by Ferrari’s unsuccessful attempt to alter his front-wing setting at the pit stop. The consequences of that moment are examined in the technical review of how the missed adjustment affected Lewis Hamilton’s pace.
Luigi Mazzola firmly rejects a Ferrari position swap
Luigi Mazzola took a firmer position against any team order. The former Ferrari engineer, who worked with the Scuderia during the Michael Schumacher era, argued that Charles Leclerc had not been sufficiently slower to justify surrendering his position to Lewis Hamilton.
“I would not have made a swap, not even in my dreams. You would demoralise a driver who is performing well, but for what reason? There was not such a significant superiority. When a driver arrives from behind, there is an advantage connected to the extra charge and he becomes more dangerous. But Hamilton did not have that level of superiority. I would never have made the swap,” Luigi Mazzola explained.
Luigi Mazzola’s view was that the apparent pace difference was influenced partly by the advantage enjoyed by the following car, rather than representing clear evidence that Lewis Hamilton was fundamentally faster. Ordering Charles Leclerc aside could therefore have damaged the Monegasque driver’s confidence without guaranteeing Ferrari a better result.
The Belgian Grand Prix episode highlighted the challenge facing Frédéric Vasseur as both Ferrari drivers remain competitive. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton came close to each other on track, but Ferrari ultimately allowed the battle to continue rather than imposing an immediate position change.
Frédéric Vasseur must protect Ferrari’s internal balance
Ferrari’s priority must now be to maximise its points without creating unnecessary divisions between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Both drivers have reasons to believe they can play an important role in the second half of the season, while the Constructors’ Championship remains another central objective.
Charles Leclerc’s recent improvement has strengthened Ferrari’s challenge, while Lewis Hamilton has continued to score consistently and moved back into second place in the Drivers’ Championship after Spa. Ferrari gained ground on Mercedes in Belgium, but the Scuderia still requires both sides of the garage to contribute if it is to sustain a title challenge.
The next test comes at the Hungaroring, although Charles Leclerc has warned that Ferrari cannot simply assume the circuit will favour the SF-26. His assessment of Ferrari’s prospects at the Hungarian Grand Prix underlines why execution will remain as important as the car’s underlying potential.
For Frédéric Vasseur, the task is therefore twofold: Ferrari must continue developing the SF-26 rapidly enough to challenge Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes, while also ensuring that competition between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton strengthens rather than destabilises the team.
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