Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve believes Ferrari should prioritise Lewis Hamilton if they want to win the 2026 Drivers’ Championship.
Hamilton strengthened his title bid by winning the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, a result that moved him to within 41 points of championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Meanwhile, consecutive retirements for team-mate Charles Leclerc have left the seven-time world champion 30 points clear within the Ferrari stable.
Villeneuve urges Scuderia to back Hamilton
Speaking on Sky Sports’ The F1 Show podcast, Villeneuve said: “Lewis knows how to win, and he knows what it takes.
“And if he gets a sniff of it, there won’t be any quarters. I think that’s where he can make the difference.
“Mercedes right now are not in a position to be even able or allowed to choose a driver over another.
“Ferrari is because Ferrari has to focus on Lewis if they want a small chance of winning, so the decision is easy to make because Leclerc is quite far back.”
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Leclerc ‘not prepared’ for Ferrari competition
On Leclerc’s ongoing struggles, Villeneuve added: “Leclerc had time to build the team around him and he didn’t.
“Bear in mind how he came into Ferrari was after an average season at Sauber and suddenly giving the huge mega-contract, like a world champion contract. Maybe too much too soon?
“He’s never really had to build anything around him. It was given, it was there. He was quick and that was plenty because the perception was, ‘that’s a car that cannot win a championship anyway.’
“You win a few races, you beat your team-mate, which was [Sebastian] Vettel. Everybody was happy.
“Suddenly in comes Lewis last year, who’s not having a great season. He’s really having a hard time with the car, the team.
“It takes time to build this around yourself, so Leclerc is quite happy. He’s looking good next to Lewis.
“But the minute Lewis woke up, the minute Lewis made that car and that team his own and he’s going for it and doesn’t leave any quarter, Leclerc is not prepared for that.”
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