Ferrari Advised to Make Drastic Decision on Lewis Hamilton for Title Bid

Pulse Sports Team 08:36 - 27 August 2026

Former Formula 1 race engineer Rob Smedley believes Ferrari must fully back Lewis Hamilton if they are to triumph in this year's Drivers' Championship.

The seven-time world champion currently sits third in the drivers' standings, behind Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, though tied on points with the latter. However, the Mercedes driver holds an advantage with two wins this season, compared to Hamilton's single victory.

Mercedes' impressive lead from the first half of the year appears to have vanished, with the team securing only two wins in the last six rounds. At present, Hamilton leads his teammate Charles Leclerc by 28 points, and Smedley suggests it's time for the team to intervene.

"My opinion from the very beginning has always been that if Ferrari wants to make an impact on this World Championship, they need to get behind him," Smedley stated. "As difficult as it is for Charles and for the team on his side of the garage, they all work for Ferrari. Lewis has had better results, and that's how things stand this year. Lewis has performed stronger and done a better job. And I think if they're going to steal points from Mercedes, they'll do it as a team.""They don't consistently have the best car, but in some instances, they do, and that's when they need to maximize it by ensuring Lewis wins. In all other cases, they simply need to make sure they maximize Lewis's points.""This is simply about doing the sensible thing for the team and trying to maximize Ferrari's position in the World Championship," the Briton added.