Damon Hill, the 1996 world champion, has called for Ferrari to make Lewis Hamilton its clear number one driver to end his battle with Charles Leclerc.

And he says the seven-time world champion “will deliver” if Ferrari backs him 100 per cent.

Damon Hill urges Ferrari to favour Lewis Hamilton over Charles Leclerc

Following a clash at Monza in September, Hamilton and Leclerc were involved in another flashpoint on the opening lap at last weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix.

Leclerc was handed a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage in battle with Hamilton, who made his displeasure clear over team radio.

Max Verstappen went on to win the race for Red Bull, with Hamilton finishing second and Leclerc in fourth.

Hamilton, who has questioned Ferrari’s lack of so-called ‘rules of engagement’, reaffirmed his criticism of Leclerc ahead of this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix, vowing that he will not be “silenced.”

Lewis Hamilton vs Charles Leclerc: Ferrari head-to-head stats for F1 2026 season

Hamilton and Leclerc have claimed one win apiece so far this season, triumphing in Barcelona and Britain respectively.

Hamilton also leads his teammate by 14 points in the drivers’ standings after Leclerc outscored his illustrious teammate by 86 points in 2025.

Despite the close battle between the pair in 2026, Hill has called for Ferrari to favour Hamilton.

In a post to social media, he wrote: “Here is where I stand on the Lewis v Charles debate: make Lewis #1 Ferrari driver.

“Sort it out. Make it clear. Ends all debate.

“Lewis will deliver for Ferrari. If they back him 100%.”

Hill’s comments come after Carlos Sainz, who acted as Leclerc’s teammate at Ferrari between 2021 and 2024, claimed that moments of high tension are inevitable between two drivers of such high quality.

He said: “It’s always been there with Formula 1 teams.

“I cannot remember a Formula 1 team that has had two good drivers fighting at the front that haven’t had issues when fighting for wins.

“You can choose whether to have a number two as a second driver, or you can have two good drivers that will create those issues, but you cannot have one without the other, in my opinion, and you will never have one without the other.

“And I don’t know, maybe Ferrari gets a bit exacerbated with everything that involves Ferrari, but I cannot remember a moment where this hasn’t happened.

“It happened in Mercedes. It happened in McLaren the last few years. It happened in Ferrari. It happened in McLaren in 2007, so I don’t know when it hasn’t happened.

“It is part of Formula 1. And if you are a team principal and if you’re going to have two great drivers, you’re always going to have that issue.

“I don’t think you can ever calm those two guys 100 per cent down and expect them not to go for a move for a race win.”