A MINUTE AGO: LEWIS HAMILTON URGES FERRARI TO I…..see more details in comment

A MINUTE AGO: LEWIS HAMILTON URGES FERRARI TO I…..see more details in comment

     Lewis Hamilton has urged Ferrari to put “rules of engagement” in place as the 2026 title fight slips away. Ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, the seven-time champion, who sits third in the standings tied with George Russell on 183 points, called on Ferrari to back one driver with 59 points to make up on championship leader Kimi Antonelli. “We’re at a point in the year where 59 points is a huge deficit – huge deficit – to recover from, especially when Mercedes continue to be the leaders in speed,” Hamilton said at Monza. “So yeah, we do have to work as a team.” He criticised qualifying for being “solely focused on trying to get an equal tow for each driver” instead of maximising the result for the driver best placed in the championship.

   The plea comes after Ferrari’s indecision cost Hamilton again in Zandvoort. With fresher tyres and stronger pace, Hamilton caught Leclerc but had to wait two laps before the team ordered a swap, losing 2-3 seconds and a likely podium in the process. “What I can say is, Pierre did a great job of… clearly, looking from a distance, it looked like they worked really well as a team,” Hamilton noted, contrasting Ferrari’s approach. Former Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley and ex-driver Riccardo Patrese have both said Ferrari should now prioritise Hamilton, with Patrese warning: “You cannot afford such mistakes and you have to take every opportunity that is provided. They must decide who is number one driver now”.[Gasly][Alpine]

     Hamilton admitted the window is closing. “There’s light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s getting dimmer the further we get through,” he said, while praising Ferrari for bringing upgrades. He also lamented a run of penalties — pit lane speeding in Budapest, blocking in qualifying, and a collision in Spa — saying “Races like this are where championships are lost”. With 283 points still available, Leclerc, 28 points behind Antonelli, argues he should stay in the fight too. But with Mercedes dominant and Ferrari “stumbling” on execution, Hamilton’s message is clear: without pre-agreed rules of engagement, Ferrari risk throwing away their only realistic shot at beating Mercedes to both titles in 2026.