Nico Rosberg rejected the possibility of Ferrari choosing one of its drivers to receive priority treatment in the fight for the 2026 Formula 1 title. For the 2016 world champion, the Italian team still has no reason to focus its efforts on Lewis Hamilton and leave Charles Leclerc in the background.
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Recently Ferrari was at the center of a controversy at the Dutch GP, when the team did not seem willing to use orders to favor Hamilton in a situation where Leclerc was on a different strategy. The episode fueled discussions about a possible definition of a lead driver in the championship fight.
Rosberg, who was Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes between 2013 and 2016, considers that the timing of the season prevents such a decision.
“They can’t do that,” he said during the Sky Sports F1 broadcast in Monza. “They have two number 1 drivers, both at a similar level. You can’t, now in the middle of the season, put everything to work just for Lewis. It’s too early, and it doesn’t make sense.”
“Of course, for Lewis, that would increase his chances of winning the championship, because in the last five races the Ferrari drivers have been on top of each other in almost every race. Of course, that costs performance and, in the end, points in the championship for Lewis, but the team can’t do that at this stage against Leclerc. It’s not feasible.”
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Despite Hamilton’s more favorable situation, Rosberg also pointed out that the Briton needed to seize the opportunity in Monza. The German highlighted the race as important for other contenders, including George and Lando Norris.
“It’s an important race for the championship today,” Rosberg added. “It’s a chance for George, for Lewis, and also for Lando to score a lot of points. But Lando is kind of out of it today, he wasn’t fast enough this weekend. Lewis too, we expected a bit more from him in qualifying, but even so, he’s still fourth, has a good race car, so he can get on the podium. I don’t know if he can fight for the win,” the German concluded.
The 2026 Italian GP ended negatively for Ferrari: Leclerc crashed hard at the Parabolica corner and retired in the early laps. Hamilton had difficulty moving up the pack and finished sixth.
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