Damon Hill finally settles the Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc story with a tough call
Damon Hill has weighed in on the ongoing drama between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc by suggesting a big change Ferrari could make before the 2027 season.
At last weekend’s Mexico City GP, 20-year-old Kimi Antonelli made history as the youngest F1 champion. But the real buzz was around a tense incident between Hamilton and Leclerc at Turn 4.
Hamilton was upset after Leclerc passed him off the track and got a five-second penalty. Since then, they’ve exchanged heated words leading up to this weekend’s Sao Paulo GP, adding a lot of tension inside the Ferrari team.
Hamilton was clearly frustrated on team radio, saying he “got pushed out by my own teammate.” The seven-time champion felt Leclerc’s move cost Ferrari a win, as Hamilton finished second behind Max Verstappen.
Hill pointed out, “Leclerc is 28, so it’s not about age. It’s a mentality — ‘win at all costs’ — and that shouldn’t be the case.”
Leclerc reportedly has a contract clause stopping Ferrari from setting strict “rules of engagement,” which Hamilton finds tough compared to his time at Mercedes, where they did have such rules.
To settle things, Damon Hill suggested making Hamilton Ferrari’s clear No.1 driver. Hill tweeted, “Make Lewis No.1 Ferrari driver. End the debate. Back him 100%, and he’ll deliver for Ferrari.”
While that sounds like a simple fix, it’s unlikely to happen. When Hamilton joined Ferrari in 2025, he already agreed to share No.1 status with Leclerc. Ferrari’s team principal, Fred Vasseur, confirmed they treat both drivers equally as No.1s.
Vasseur said, “We chose to have two No.1 drivers, both capable of winning. They know this going in — it’s in the contract. It’s a strategic choice based on respect.”
But after the Mexico City GP, when neither driver showed much respect, and Hamilton even doubled down on his criticism of Leclerc at the press conference, that philosophy feels a bit out of reach.
It seems Leclerc isn’t likely to change his aggressive style, even if it risks clashing with his teammate. Clearly, Ferrari’s lack of a clear team leader is causing problems, and there’s no easy answer in sight.