Why Ferrari should avoid team orders between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Maurizio Arrivabene believes it is still too early for Ferrari to establish a number one driver.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have shared Ferrari’s victories this season despite sitting far apart in the championship standings. But according to former team principal Maurizio Arrivabene, now is not the time to establish a number one driver within the Scuderia.

A debate is beginning to grow around Ferrari, but at this stage of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship it seems premature. Only nine of the planned 22 Grands Prix have been completed, unless the two races cancelled because of tensions in the Persian Gulf are eventually rescheduled. Even so, some believe that Fred Vasseur and Ferrari’s management should already decide on a clear number one and number two driver in an effort to challenge Mercedes more effectively.

Mercedes has won seven of the first nine races of the season, with Kimi Antonelli taking five victories and George Russell claiming the other two. Ferrari’s wins, meanwhile, have been shared equally between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. The British driver has enjoyed a period of consistent improvement, allowing him to edge ahead in overall form, while the Monegasque endured a more difficult spell that began after the Miami Grand Prix and only came to an end with his victory at Silverstone.

Is it really time to establish team orders?

So what should Ferrari do? Is it already the right moment to back one driver in an attempt to stop the Mercedes challenge? The Brackley-based team remains the benchmark, although recent races have exposed some weaknesses, particularly in terms of reliability. As we highlighted in another analysis, those issues could also be a consequence of the pressure Ferrari is now applying, forcing the German team to push harder in its pursuit of performance.

Even so, it still appears too early to argue that Lewis Hamilton should become Ferrari’s undisputed number one driver or, conversely, that he should support Charles Leclerc’s championship campaign, especially after the Monegasque’s immediate response with his Silverstone victory.

Maurizio Arrivabene: “The priority is beating Mercedes”

That view is also shared by someone who understands Ferrari’s internal dynamics better than most: former team principal Maurizio Arrivabene. Speaking on Race Anatomy on Sky, he explained that managing a driver pairing like Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton is not as complicated as many people suggest.

“There are circuits where one driver is faster, and circuits where the other is faster.”

According to Arrivabene, Ferrari has not yet reached the point where it needs to make a definitive choice. That decision may eventually become necessary, but only later in the season, when both the championship standings and the overall direction of the title fight provide a much clearer picture.

For now, Ferrari’s objective should be straightforward: stay ahead of Mercedes whenever possible and continue closing the performance gap. Only if the circumstances demand it later in the championship should Fred Vasseur use all of his diplomatic skills to persuade one driver to work in support of the other. That moment, however, has not arrived yet.