Montoya: Ferrari engineers must listen to Hamilton

Montoya believes Hamilton will “die trying” to win his record eighth Formula 1 World Championship in 2026. The Colombian motorsport veteran urged Ferrari’s engineers to listen closely to the seven-time champion if they want success.

Montoya said: “I think Lewis Hamilton has a point to prove, he won’t lie down and submit to defeat. He will win the championship or die trying, as they say. He will give it a big push next year. His frustration is due to him thinking he’s doing more than what Ferrari are doing for him.

"I think he feels he’s putting in a lot of effort to try make things work, but the team aren’t matching that energy. Give Hamilton the right tools and he’ll be there competing at the top. When things click and the motivation to compete is back, oh my god, Hamilton will be unstoppable.

"There’s no chance that he’ll quit and retire any time soon. He won’t want his legacy tarnished as the guy who didn’t make it," added Montoya, on the possibility the Briton will quit earlier than expected.

Montoya believes Ferrari’s long-term success depends on learning from Hamilton’s feedback: “I haven’t spoken to Jacques Villeneuve about Lewis Hamilton’s impact at Ferrari, but we can still both see it. Everybody can see it. When you’ve been in that situation, where you’re trying to give more to the team and not getting the same energy back, it sucks.

“The car isn’t getting better for Charles Leclerc either. The faster Ferrari’s team and engineers listen to Hamilton on how to make the car better, the better it will be for the team in the long term.”

Montoya also suggested that Ollie Bearman’s recent performances could force Ferrari into a difficult decision. “The rookies are doing a really good job, it’s going to be like musical chairs with them as teams will want to add them to their teams,” he said.

“Ollie Bearman has done a very good job recently, it will be interesting to see what Ferrari decide to do with him. You have this young kid performing whilst Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are not performing. They could push Hamilton to become an ambassador at Ferrari and pick Bearman to take his seat."

"Hamilton could then guide Ollie to become even better. F1 can get political," Montoya pointed out, and leading into his thoughts on Charles Leclerc in the other Ferrari.

Montoya questioned how long Leclerc will remain loyal to Maranello if results do not improve. “I don’t know why everyone thought the Ferrari car would be competitive? They’ve had an average car for years and nothing has changed.

"Next year could be a really good year for Ferrari, but if they’re not competitive, how much longer can we expect Charles Leclerc to stay for? How can he be happy finishing in third place consistently?”

Montoya concluded that Ferrari’s current car remains a handful. “When the track is smooth, the Ferrari drivers have a good handle of the car and can be quick, but I said it from the beginning of the year, Lewis Hamilton has never looked comfortable in the car.

"It’s a twitchy, unpredictable car and its bad habits come out very easily. Charles Leclerc has driven the Ferrari for so long that he’s used to driving a bad car, which is why he’s outperforming Hamilton," added Monty.