Damon Hill solves Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc saga once and for all with brutal decision

Damon Hill has resolved the saga between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc by suggesting a major change Ferrari should make ahead of the 2027 season.

A dramatic race at the Mexico City GP last weekend saw Kimi Antonelli take the final podium position to become the youngest F1 champion at the age of 20. But the Italian's incredible achievement wasn't the only big talking point after Hamilton and Leclerc were involved in a major incident on the track at Turn 4.

Hamilton was furious at his teammate after Leclerc passed the Briton off track and was handed a five-second penalty. The duo have since been involved in back-and-forth verbal exchanges in the build-up to the Sao Paulo GP this weekend, creating unbelievable tension in the Ferrari camp.

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Damon Hill thinks Lewis Hamilton should be the number one driver for Ferrari

After passing him off the track and refusing to hand the place back to his Scuderia colleague, Hamilton was angry on the team radio, claiming he "got pushed out by my own teammate".

The seven-time F1 champion even claimed that Leclerc's antics cost Ferrari a victory at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez after he finished second to Max Verstappen.

"The guy's 28 years old, so I don't think it's an age thing," said the 41-year-old immediately after the race. "I think it's a mentality thing. It's like 'do or die. Like either I win or none of us do', and it shouldn't be that."

Leclerc reportedly has a clause in his contract that would prevent Ferrari from introducing 'written rules of engagement' and this is an issue for Hamilton, who previously spoke about Mercedes enforcing written rules of engagement during his 12-year partnership.

To resolve the problem, 1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill has suggested that Hamilton should be made the No.1 driver at Ferrari, claiming he would 'deliver' if they 'back him 100%'.

Hill wrote on X: "Here is where I stand on the Lewis v Charles debate, and I made this point in my commentary on @5liveSport on Sunday in Mexico; make Lewis #1 Ferrari driver. Sort it out. Make it clear. Ends all debate. Lewis will deliver for Ferrari. If they back him 100%."

On the surface, Hill's verdict seems like a reasonable solution to fix their fight for internal dominance, but the chances of it happening have already been ruled out.

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Why Ferrari won't make Lewis Hamilton number one driver

When Hamilton moved over to Ferrari in 2025, he knew that sharing responsibility as a number one driver with Leclerc was written in the contract.

In fact, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur confirmed in September that both are treated like the number one driver.

"I'll let you in on something," Vasseur said. "We've chosen to have two number one drivers, two drivers capable of winning races, with this approach of serving both drivers equally. It's a choice we make with the drivers.

“They know very well, when they come to us, that's how it is. Lewis knew it. It's clear in the contract. It's a strategic choice.

"Some teams decide to have a number one driver and a number two driver, while others decide to have two number one drivers. Both have advantages and disadvantages. We stand by our philosophy. Everything is based on respect."

Vasseur's words seem ironic now, as neither driver showed respect for each other during the Mexico City GP, and Hamilton even doubled down on his comments towards Leclerc in Thursday's press conference before the Sao Paulo GP.

Therefore, it seems unlikely that Leclerc will stop being the kind of racing driver who goes for what he sees as potential race-winning moves at the expense of his own team-mate. Clearly, Ferrari having no established hierarchy is costing them, and there is no simple solution to the problem.