Rosberg: Ferrari Can't Prioritize Hamilton Over Leclerc for 2026 Title Race

Nico Rosberg, former F1 world champion, speaking on Sky Sports F1, said that Ferrari cannot realistically prioritize Lewis Hamilton over Charles Leclerc in the 2026 title race at this stage of the season. He stressed that forcing a driver to yield would cost the team performance and points, and create internal instability. The context for this statement came after a chaotic Dutch Grand Prix for Ferrari at Zandvoort, where the Italian team seemed reluctant to enforce team orders to allow Hamilton to pass Leclerc, despite the Monegasque driver being on a different strategy. Rosberg believes Ferrari needs to be more decisive if they want to win the world championship in 2026. "Of course, prioritizing one driver will cost them performance, and ultimately Lewis's points, but the team cannot do that at this stage with Leclerc. It's not feasible," Rosberg said. "They have two No.1 drivers, both on a similar level. You cannot, in the middle of the season, put everything towards Lewis. It's way too early and doesn't make sense." Rosberg points out that Ferrari currently has a strong driver line-up, but this also creates challenges in maintaining balance. In the last five races, the Ferrari drivers have been 'all over each other almost every race.' This indicates that the current car allows both drivers to extract maximum performance. However, there is a points gap: Hamilton is 59 points behind the leader, while Leclerc is 87 points behind. This discrepancy might force Ferrari to make a choice in the future, but Rosberg believes the time is not ripe. The former German driver emphasized that if Ferrari tries to make Hamilton the absolute No.1, they will face backlash from Leclerc, who also craves his first title. The relationship between the two 'No.1s' could become tense, leading to unnecessary incidents on track. Rosberg knows this well because he was Hamilton's teammate at Mercedes and experienced fierce internal battles. Looking ahead to 2026, Rosberg suggests Ferrari should focus on car development rather than wasting resources on determining internal roles too early. New technical regulations will change the landscape, and the team that adapts fastest will have an edge. At this point, Ferrari simply cannot afford to sacrifice one of their drivers. During the Italian Grand Prix weekend at Monza, Hamilton qualified only fourth, but Rosberg believes he still has a chance for a podium with 'a good race car.' He also alluded to a big championship fight involving George Russell and Lando Norris. Yet the main story remains Ferrari and how they handle two drivers vying for the crown. Rosberg, as a former champion who fought alongside Hamilton, has given Ferrari valuable advice: Let the race solve itself, don't create an order too early. If Ferrari interfere harshly, they could pay the price with their own title chances.