When Ferrari has used team orders in past title battles – and what it means for Hamilton

Hamilton, after a difficult 2025, has got the better of Leclerc so far in 2026, winning their first race of the season in Barcelona and sits 39 points ahead of the Monegasque. However, Leclerc is keen to get back on top ahead of Hamilton and his victory in Silverstone was a return to form.

Jolyon Palmer said Leclerc could be a "great asset" for Hamilton in the title fight, while the likes of 1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve and former Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley have also backed calls for Ferrari to back Hamilton over Leclerc.

GPblog takes a look at how early Ferrari have used team orders in past title battles and it means for Hamilton and Leclerc.

When Michael Schumacher joined Ferrari in 1996, it was clear from day one that he was to be the preferred driver to fight for world championships when he was teammates with Eddie Irvine, Rubens Barrichello and Felipe Massa.

It was pretty much set out that each of his teammates would have to play second fiddle to Schumacher from the beginning of the season, though it was incredibly rare that they could match his incredible pace.

The most famous example came at the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix, where Barrichello, leading comfortably was instructed to yield to Schumacher, which the Brazilian decided to do as late as possible, just before the finishing line. This move drew huge backlash from fans and contributed to the FIA's temporary ban on team orders.

Team orders did not help Ferrari in 1999. Irvine was a rare case in that he received team orders in favour of Schumacher, but only when the German returned from a broken leg. Earlier in the season, Irvine had to play team orders to Schumacher and was told to stay behind the German when he struggled at the French Grand Prix. If Irvine had finished ahead of Schumacher, it would have allowed them to switch places at the final race in Japan and give the Ulsterman the drivers' championship.

It was a change of tactic in 2007 and 2008, a move that ultimately could have cost Kimi Raikkonen the championship in 2007 and also played a factor in Massa losing the 2008 championship.

In 2007, Ferrari only decided to play team orders after Massa was effectively ruled out of the championship after his DNF in Monza. The Brazilian played a big part as he led the season decider at his home race, and played a brilliant team game as Raikkonen passed him in the pitstops. By finishing second, Massa denied Fernando Alonso the championship, as Lewis Hamilton could only finish seventh.

In 2008, the two drivers were again able to race equally and took points away from each other. After Raikkonen's crash in Belgium, it effectively meant that Massa would be the one to take the fight to Hamilton. Raikkonen allowed Massa to pass for second at the penultimate race in China, which almost resulted in the Brazilian winning the championship as he lost out by just one point.

The 2010 season featured one of Ferrari's most controversial team-order moments. At the German Grand Prix, Massa led Alonso when engineer Rob Smedley delivered his famous radio message: "Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood that message." Ferrari were fined €100,000 for breaching sporting regulations, ultimately leading the FIA to lift the official ban on team orders at the end of the 2010 season.

But when Alonso joined in 2010, it was clear that Massa would not get the equal treatment that he did alongside Raikkonen, though to Ferrari's defence, Alonso had a supreme pace advantage over the Brazilian unlike Raikkonen.

Team orders were rarely used during Sebastian Vettel's partnership with Kimi Raikkonen, when the German joined the team in 2025. There was particular surprise that Ferrari did not force Raikkonen to concede second to Vettel in the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix, which would have strengthened Vettel's lead of the championship. Ferrari decided to take the approach that team orders would not be used until a certain point was reached as to a driver being clearly the only one who could contend for the championship.

That appeared to change in 2019 when Charles Leclerc joined the team, as Ferrari issued orders for the Monegasque to hold position in Austria and yield position to Vettel in China. However, Ferrari struggled to compete for the championship in 2019 and with Leclerc's position as a rising star, team orders were not often used after China.

Ferrari briefly looked like they could mount a championship challenge in 2022 after Leclerc's bright start to the season. However, that challenge quickly fell away and Ferrari ultimately did not need to implement team orders for a title fight.

Hamilton has a 39 point gap to his teammate Leclerc behind and is only 32 points behind championship leader Antonelli. However, it is unlikely that any team orders will be implemented until the point that is clear Leclerc cannot win the championship.

All it takes is one good result for Leclerc next time out in Belgium and one bad race for Hamilton and the gap between them could be much smaller than it is now. Leclerc has struggled in 2026 but it is not completely out of the question that he could have the better of Hamilton during the remainder of the season.

Ferrari took a different approach under the Schumacher and Alonso years, but to their defence, it was also clear that they were the only drivers who could win the championship in the years they contended for the title.