Nico Rosberg reveals why Ferrari can’t back Lewis Hamilton in F1 title fight

2016 Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg has outlined why Ferrari “can’t” prioritise Lewis Hamilton over Charles Leclerc in the 2026 title race. 

Ferrari spurned a golden opportunity to capitalise on a grid penalty for championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli at the Italian Grand Prix as Leclerc crashed out, and Hamilton could only take sixth after a first-lap clash with his team-mate. 

With Antonelli pulling off an incredible comeback victory on home soil at Monza, seven-time world champion Hamilton finds himself 76 points behind the Italian with 10 scheduled races remaining this season. 

Despite suggestions that Ferrari should be backing Hamilton over Leclerc in the 2026 title fight, Rosberg, who was team-mates with Hamilton at Mercedes between 2013 and 2016, made it clear that isn’t possible. 

“You’re talking about Charles Leclerc, who is like the golden boy at Ferrari and he’s still in with a mathematical chance to be world champion at the moment,” Rosberg said during Sky Sports F1’s post-race coverage. 

“So you cannot. Of course it would be good for Lewis. Give him the best possibility, give him more points, but you just can’t as a team do that. 

“You owe it to both drivers to give them opportunity, at this point, for now at least. Maybe later on, they have to play the game.”

Hamilton, who is 36 points clear of Leclerc, said after the disappointing race that it is “far too late” for Ferrari to give him priority over the Monegasque. 

"I think from today, we've just lost so much ground to [Mercedes] on points,” the 41-year-old Briton said. "It's far too late for those decisions to come. It's too late. All I can do is just try and turn up. I'll get up tomorrow morning and I'll give it my best.”

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur insisted it is still too early for the Maranello outfit to throw all of its weight behind one driver. 

“Now, to see if we have a team order or whatever, I think that the comparison that I made was that last year, [Oscar] Piastri was leading McLaren at this stage of the season, and if McLaren put everything on Piastri, [Red Bull's] Max Verstappen would have been champion,” he argued. 

"For sure, at one stage you have to make a decision, but I think it was too early to make a decision before Monza. Now we have time to discuss with the guys."