Ferrari Urged to Support Hamilton Over Leclerc in Title Race
Ferrari’s brewing tension between its star names has spilled beyond the garage walls, with former team engineer Rob Smedley calling on the Scuderia to make a hard choice: back Lewis Hamilton over Charles Leclerc if they truly want to shape this year’s championship fight.
“They all work for Ferrari”
Hamilton’s frustration crackled over team radio at the Dutch Grand Prix. Running an alternative strategy, he pushed for Leclerc to move aside and let him attack, only to be met with resistance on track and a rising sense of urgency in his voice.
From the outside, Smedley heard more than just a driver complaining. He heard a title opportunity that needs a clear hierarchy.
Speaking on the High Performance Racing Podcast, the former Ferrari race engineer laid it out bluntly. As difficult as it may be for Leclerc and the crew on his side of the garage, he argued, the bigger picture has to win.
They all work for Ferrari. One badge. One championship table.
In Smedley’s eyes, Hamilton has “had the better run and done the better job” this season. That alone, he believes, should tilt the internal balance. If Ferrari want to take points off Mercedes and insert themselves into the title narrative, they must do it as a unified force, not as two equal projects under the same roof.
The logic is ruthless but familiar in Maranello history: when the car is not consistently the class of the field, the team cannot afford to divide its bets. On the days when Ferrari do have the machinery to fight at the front, Smedley insists those opportunities must be converted into Hamilton wins. On the others, every call should be made to maximise Hamilton’s points haul.
It is, in his words, “the sensible thing for the team” – a strategy aimed squarely at lifting Ferrari’s position in the world championship, even if it bruises egos along the way.
Right now, Hamilton sits level on points with former teammate George Russell in the drivers’ standings, both 59 adrift of runaway leader Kimi Antonelli. That gap leaves no room for sentiment. Every shuffled position, every team order, every sacrificed lap time could decide whether Ferrari remain outsiders or become genuine disruptors in the title race.
The question now is whether Ferrari, with two elite drivers and a long memory of internal rivalries, are willing to impose that kind of order.
Kelly Piquet’s open-hearted message to daughter Penelope
Away from the pit wall politics and points permutations, a very different kind of message cut through the noise of the paddock.
Kelly Piquet, partner of Max Verstappen, shared a deeply personal note on social media to her daughter Penelope, reflecting on a turbulent spell since the little girl’s recent birthday. She chose not to reveal what had unfolded over the past month, but the tone spoke of challenges, growth, and the quiet strength that comes with motherhood.
Her post turned into a tribute to the lessons her daughter has brought into her life, and then into a direct promise.
“My P, I will always listen to you, stand up for you, protect your gentleness, and remind you that your feelings matter,” she wrote, before wishing Penelope’s seventh year to be filled with “peace, freedom, and carefree joy that every little girl deserves.”
It was a rare, vulnerable glimpse into the human side of a world often defined by speed, pressure, and relentless scrutiny. Verstappen, so often the face of ruthless dominance on track, added his support to the message, underscoring the tight-knit circle around Penelope.
While teams argue over strategy and titles, moments like this remind the paddock that beyond the helmets and headsets, lives are unfolding in real time.
Ferrari must now decide whether their own next move is driven by emotion, loyalty, or the cold arithmetic of a championship fight.
