Ferrari driver intervention shut down: 'Not an option for them'

Former F1 driver David Coulthard believes Ferrari has no scope to inflict driver status on Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc within the team.

Hamilton joined the Italian squad last year from Mercedes, with the sport's most successful driver linking up with the most triumphant team.

He partnered up with Leclerc, who has been part of the Maranello-based squad since 2019 after spending several years in its junior programme.

While Leclerc was the better performer in 2025, Hamilton has stepped up his game this year and currently leads his team-mate in the standings.

However, their working relationship came into question earlier this month at the Italian Grand Prix, when Leclerc seemed to push Hamilton wide and into the gravel on the opening lap.

It resulted in some comments that Ferrari should have implemented a number one driver status within the team in a bid to chase down Mercedes and Kimi Antonelli - but Coulthard stated such a possibility is non-existent between two high-calibre drivers.

“I don't think it is an option for them,” Coulthard told the Up to Speed podcast. 

“You employ Lewis Hamilton, and you've got Charles Leclerc, who's been there for several years, is blindingly fast and a sort of poster boy for a racing driver. 

“Good-looking, he's got the family, a baby on the way, a dog in the paddock... my opinion is that's all a bit too much, quite frankly. 

“It's not a weekend away picnic, is it? It's a grand prix, it's a serious business. It's a dangerous business, but that's probably me being of an older generation. 

“They [Ferrari] don't have a choice. They've employed two of the best drivers in the world.

“You then manage them as best you can.”

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Coulthard suspects Ferrari rules of engagement already exist

Hamilton insisted after the Monza race that the approach to working together to cut into Mercedes' lead was now too late.

Both drivers played down the significance of the incident on the opening lap, which marked the biggest flashpoint yet between the two Ferrari drivers.

When asked if Ferrari should introduce rules of engagement, Coulthard replied: “I suspect they do.

“There'll be somewhere in the contract that says that the driver has to take fair and reasonable instructions from a senior member of the team. 

“That's a pretty generic clause that's in all contracts because otherwise you could employ a driver and he could go rogue.

“You couldn't fire him because you don't have a clause that says, 'look, you're really not behaving yourself'.”