Ferrari must set its rules before the championship does it for them

Lewis Hamilton has asked Ferrari to rethink how it communicates and manages its drivers after an Italian Grand Prix in which an internal fight came before a sporting collapse. Starting fourth, he ran through the gravel at the second chicane after going side by side with Charles Leclerc, then recovered to sixth. Leclerc, third on the grid, lost control at Parabolica on lap two and retired unharmed.

The debate goes beyond Monza. Hamilton had already felt delayed by Leclerc in the Netherlands while the two were on different strategies. In Italy, he argued that repeating the same procedures produces the same results and that change has to come from the top. His message is clear: Ferrari needs more explicit rules for how its drivers race each other and how decisions are made when their strategies overlap.

Frédéric Vasseur did not assign blame after Monza, but acknowledged that a team eventually has to make a decision when the interests of its drivers diverge. The standings make that discussion concrete. Hamilton is third with 191 points, 76 behind Kimi Antonelli. Leclerc is fifth on 155, 36 behind his team-mate.

Backing Hamilton more strongly would not guarantee a comeback against Mercedes. But continuing without clear rules leaves Ferrari exposed to losing time, positions and points whenever its two cars converge.

Madrid comes next on a brand-new Madring that no team knows and that will be very different from Monza. Ferrari therefore has two separate problems to solve: close a pure-power deficit to Mercedes and make faster, clearer decisions when its drivers' races conflict.