Rubens Barrichello is clear about what Ferrari “definitely” need if they are to fight Mercedes for the 2027 F1 title, following the spat between drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

Tensions have once again flared inside the Ferrari garage thanks to team principal Fred Vasseur refusing to make Hamilton or Leclerc their number one driver. Both believe they should be the one leading the Maranello natives, and both offer Vasseur reason not to make them the No2.

Leclerc is Ferrari’s golden boy, having first joined their ranks with the Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA) in 2016, made a Scuderia F1 driver from 2019 and is now under contract through 2030.

Hamilton, on the other hand, is the most successful driver in F1 history, but the seven-time champion is only under contract for at least 2027 on the deal he signed to join Ferrari in 2025.

Ferrari held further clear-the-air talks between Hamilton and Leclerc on Friday in Sao Paulo, given that the latter flying home after the Mexico City GP for the birth of his child, as well as Vasseur briefly returning to Maranello, meant they could not squash any tensions beforehand.

Now, while Barrichello is reluctant to discuss the reasons why there is tension in Maranello, the Ferrari legend urges Vasseur, Hamilton and Leclerc to find “harmony” if they are to fight for the title in 2027. Barrichello is desperate to see Ferrari succeed again, having not won the drivers’ title since 2007 with Kimi Raikkonen, nor the constructors’ championship since 2008.

Barrichello told Sky Sports Italy: “Look, I can’t really talk about what’s going on now because, honestly, what I’ve realised in life is that I can’t talk about what I don’t really know. What I can say is that back in my day there was a lot of harmony.

“Even though there were times when I wanted more space, I had to wait a bit more, and when Ferrari said, ‘Right, now it’s just Barrichello who’s doing the tyres,’ OK, I went to get the tyre [tests] done, but there was a great deal of harmony. It was a very harmonious atmosphere, and that’s what you need to win.

Ferrari started the 2026 season as the team most likely to challenge Mercedes, and they even briefly believed that Hamilton could threaten Andrea Kimi Antonelli for the drivers’ title after he scored his first win in red in Barcelona. But their 2026 title dreams evaporated quickly, and Hamilton now faces a challenge to finish in the top three in the drivers’ standings this season.

Red Bull rival Max Verstappen has now surpassed Hamilton and Mercedes’ George Russell for second place in the standings, with the Dutchman leading the two Britons on 261, 259 and 250 points. Leclerc sits fifth in the table ahead of round 20/23 in Brazil with 245 points so far.

The Scuderia are slightly comfortable in second place in the teams’ standings ahead of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, during which a three-point swing in Mercedes’ favour would see them seal the title one week after Antonelli won the 2026 F1 drivers’ title in Mexico. Red Bull trail Ferrari by 122 points with a maximum of 172 remaining through the final four rounds of the season.