Lewis Hamilton’s F1 experience could shape Ferrari’s 2026 car. Without his input, their Formula 1 title dream may drift further away.
Ferrari is not abandoning the development of its 2025 car, as Fred Vasseur clarified last week. But it is the 2026 project that has, for several months now, taken top priority at Maranello.
At the Scuderia factory, the concept is progressing well, but it will also need to incorporate feedback from drivers in the simulator to fine-tune its virtual behavior, with the hope that it will closely match reality once on track at the end of January.
But who should be relied on more? Charles Leclerc, the long-established driver at Ferrari? Or the seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, who brings much more experience?
While the current situation clearly tips the balance in favor of the Monegasque, that might not be the right decision according to former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya.
“2025 is already forgotten for Lewis. And I think for Ferrari too. What matters is whether, suddenly, with next year’s car, they will pay more attention to Lewis’s needs or to Charles’s.”
Montoya believes Hamilton’s approach gives Ferrari the best chance at a title, while the direction led by Leclerc may only result in occasional wins.
“In my opinion, if they want to be competitive next year, the car’s foundation should be based more on Lewis’s feedback than Charles’s.”
“Because, it’s a fact, cars based on Charles’s input can win one or two races a year, but not titles.”
“And look, under Lewis’s guidance, when they’re fast, they find everything quickly, and he always provides very strong insight into what the car needs,” added Montoya, referring to the successes he and his former teams achieved in the past when his advice was followed.
“Ferrari is a very political and very complex team, and that has surprised Lewis.”
“I think Lewis expected that, since he is Lewis, they would do everything he wanted, and we all expected that, but egos are a very complex thing to manage.”
