Jolyon Palmer believes Lewis Hamilton's chances of winning the 2026 Formula 1 title are all but over, as Ferrari has missed the window to prioritise the seven-time champion. The former F1 driver turned pundit argues that the Maranello squad has already let its championship hopes slip away.
Ferrari arrived at the Spanish Grand Prix reeling from a disastrous home race at Monza. Starting third and fourth, Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc clashed at Turn 1 on the opening lap, with the Monegasque driver crashing out on lap two. Hamilton now sits third in the drivers' standings with 191 points, 76 behind leader Kimi Antonelli, while Leclerc is fifth on 155 points.
Calls for Ferrari to back a number one driver have been growing, but Palmer insists it's now too late. "Well, I feel like it's too late," Palmer said on F1 TV's Weekend Warm-Up show. "The ship has sailed. I feel like they're drifting away from championship contention. They're not going to make it. I don't think they're quick enough."
Palmer highlighted that the drivers are too focused on beating each other rather than working together. He recalled incidents in China and moments where they fought for podiums while Mercedes escaped. "You thought, OK, they don't have the pace to beat Mercedes on that day and it was fun to watch, and they do race each other really hard. They have done all season, but I can't think of a single time where they've actually worked together," he added.
Furthermore, Palmer pointed out that Hamilton's win in Barcelona came when Leclerc was not in contention, and Leclerc's win at Silverstone occurred when Hamilton had a jump start and was not competitive. "So when they have an inferior car, I do feel like they had to probably prioritise a driver, if not at least make sure that they're working together in any given race," he stressed.
Ferrari is now under immense pressure. With inconsistent performances and rivals like Mercedes and McLaren pulling ahead, their title chances are fading. Palmer even cited the Monza incident as proof that Ferrari is not ready for a championship fight. "Starting third and fourth at Monza with one Mercedes at the back, both McLarens behind them, Max Verstappen behind as well, you're thinking, OK, you've actually got a great chance to take the fight on your home turf. And they immediately started having a go with each other," he concluded.
With 14 rounds remaining, Ferrari still has time to turn things around, but if they continue to be embroiled in internal conflict, their championship hopes will only drift further away. A tough decision awaits Fred Vasseur and his team: sacrifice one driver for the title, or let them race freely and risk losing the crown altogether.
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