Ferrari have been given one piece of advice that could win the F1 title this year

Formula 1 giants Ferrari have been informed of the only way they can end the 2026 season on top of the pile.

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has dominated the Formula 1 drivers' championship chase for the vast majority of the season so far, winning five consecutive races between China in March and Monaco in June.

But the teenager has finished outside the points in two of the last three Grands Prix, failing to finish in Barcelona and unable to convert pole into a result in the British GP at Silverstone on Sunday despite logging the fastest lap of the race.

With Antonelli allowing the door to open on a title contest that was beginning to look like a formality, a reinvigorated Ferrari team can now look up at the top two with a more realistic hope of catching them.

Antonelli leads the standings ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell, with Ferrari pair Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in third and fourth respectively.

While Leclerc took the chequered flag at Silverstone in front of Russell and Hamilton, former Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley believes that Hamilton, who is 39 points closer to Antonelli and breathing down Russell's neck, is the team's most convincing championship hope.

"I am going to go against my own sense of logic and say I actually think that doing something as extreme as that is the only chance Ferrari has of winning this world championship," Smedley told the High Performance Racing podcast when asked whether Ferrari should have sought to move Hamilton past Leclerc at Silverstone.

"I think that if they play the game of trying to outpace Mercedes in car terms, and then they play the game of allowing the drivers to race each other with such a big gap between Lewis and Charles, the probability significantly diminishes for them to win the drivers' world championship.

"So, I think that although it goes against my logic, there are too many variables coming up. So why would you ever do it? But I think that is the one and only strategy that they've got of Lewis winning this world championship."

Ferrari on the charge off the back of FIA upgrades

Ferrari, whose last title-winning driver was Kimi Raikkonen ins 2007, have started to find their groove since becoming eligible for an emergency FIA upgrade package in June.

Ferrari's engine was recognised to be more than 4% slower than Mercedes' power unit, triggering a power boost that has coincided with improved performance on the track.

Hamilton finally secured his first GP win in Ferrari red in Barcelona last month, topping an all-British podium ahead of Russell and Lando Norris.

"Grazie ragazzi! Grazie a tutti!" said the seven-time world champion over his team radio.

"Everyone at Maranello, thank you so much for helping me to achieve this dream. I just can’t thank you enough.

"Thank you for everyone pushing so hard back at home. I’m so proud of you. And to my family, I love you. To the fans, thank you for continuing to remind me who I am. I couldn’t have done this without you. Let's go!"

Ferrari's improving fortunes bode well for Hamilton. The team are consistently reducing the gap between their top driver and pole position.

Their gap to pole decreased by a relative 80.7% between the season opener in Melbourne and qualifying for Sunday's British GP.