Ferrari needs to focus on Lewis Hamilton to stand a chance of winning the 2026 F1 title, says Jacques Villeneuve | F1 News
Ferrari must focus on Lewis Hamilton if they are to stand a chance of winning the 2026 Formula 1 drivers’ title, according to former world champion Jacques Villeneuve.
Hamilton moved to within 41 points of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli in the title race as the seven-time world champion took his first win for Ferrari at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
The successive retirements of Hamilton’s team-mate Charles Leclerc have opened up a 30-point gap between the two Ferraris, and 1997 champion Villeneuve insists the Italian team must prioritize the Brit before Mercedes have to choose between Antonelli or George Russell, who is third in the standings.
Speaking on the latest episode of Sky Sports’ The F1 Show podcastVilleneuve said: “Lewis knows how to win, and he knows what it takes. And if he gets a sniff, there will be no quarters.
“I think that’s where he can make a difference. Mercedes is currently not in a position where they can or are allowed to choose one driver over another.
“Ferrari is because Ferrari must focus on Lewis if they want a small chance of winning, so it is easy to make a decision because Leclerc is very far behind. [in the championship].”
‘Leclerc is not ready for Hamilton’s turn’
Hamilton endured a challenging first campaign with Ferrari after joining Mercedes as he struggled to match Leclerc for much of 2025.
However, a change in her engineering team and other changes made by team principal Fred Vasseur – as well as a major change in motoring regulations – have enabled the 41-year-old to rediscover a rich vein.
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Speaking on the F1 Show podcast, Jacques Villeneuve believes Mercedes team-mates Kimi Antonelli and George Russell will be put under pressure to return to Lewis Hamilton.
Villeneuve believes that Hamilton’s conversion took Leclerc by surprise and that he is “not ready” to respond.
“Leclerc had time to build a team around him and he didn’t,” said Villeneuve. “Remember how you came to Ferrari after an average season at Sauber and suddenly offered a big contract, like a world championship contract. Maybe too soon?
“He never had to build something around him. It was given to him, it was there. He was fast and that was a lot because the idea was, that car can win the championship anyway. You win a few races, you beat your team-mate, which was (Sebastian) Vettel. Everyone was happy.
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Charles Leclerc crashed again for the second time in seven days as he hit the wall at Turn Four during qualifying for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
“Suddenly, Lewis came in last year, who did not play well in the season. Of course, he is facing difficulties with the car, the team, it takes time to build this, so Leclerc is very happy. He looks good next to Lewis.
“But the moment Lewis wakes up, the moment Lewis makes the car and that team his own and he’s going to take it and he’s not leaving any quarter, Leclerc is not ready for that.”
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