3 MINUTES AGO đź”´ Lewis Hamilton has given Scuderia Ferrari an ultimatum: if they don’t sign Franco Colapinto and fire Charles Leclerc and Oliver Bearman, he will leave the team next season. He also asked Ferrari’s CEO to make an immediate decision.
Hamilton’s Patience Runs Out in Maranello
Formula 1’s most decorated champion has just thrown the entire grid into a state of emergency. In a move described by senior Ferrari insiders as “stunning, surreal, and borderline apocalyptic,” Lewis Hamilton has delivered a thunderous ultimatum to Scuderia Ferrari’s upper leadership: sign Franco Colapinto immediately and terminate both Charles Leclerc and Oliver Bearman, or face the reality that Hamilton will walk away from Ferrari by the end of 2025.
According to multiple high-ranking sources at Maranello, Hamilton issued the demand not to team principal Frédéric Vasseur, not through his agent, and certainly not via PR channels—he went straight to the top, delivering the message directly to Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna in a closed-door meeting this morning.
One source present in the building described the energy as “radioactive.” Hamilton wasn’t just requesting change. He was commanding it. His language was direct. His expectations were immediate. And his tone left no doubt that this wasn’t part of some contract leverage game. It was a statement of intent: evolve now or be left behind.
Why Franco Colapinto—and Why Charles Leclerc Must Go
If there’s one truth Lewis Hamilton has never hidden throughout his career, it’s this: he surrounds himself only with those he believes can win. Period. And now, that belief no longer includes Charles Leclerc, the driver once hailed as the future of Ferrari.
According to leaked notes from the internal Ferrari debrief following Silverstone, Hamilton reportedly expressed deep frustration over Leclerc’s decision-making under pressure and his inability to convert strong qualifying into consistent podiums. That criticism, while not new, has now evolved into outright rejection.
In Hamilton’s words, overheard during a pre-race strategy meeting and now confirmed by a second team engineer: “He drives like someone trying not to lose. I need teammates who are trying to win.”
The same applies to Oliver Bearman, Ferrari’s young prodigy, who impressed during his F1 debut but, in Hamilton’s view, still lacks the fire and precision needed at the top.
In their place, Hamilton wants Franco Colapinto—the aggressive, instinct-driven Argentine driver who has lit up Formula 2 with his racecraft and fearlessness. Hamilton, who has followed Colapinto’s career since the Euroformula days, sees in him something he once saw in himself—a raw hunger unshaped by politics. He allegedly told Ferrari’s board that Colapinto is “the only driver on the junior ladder today with a world champion’s mindset.”
And now, Hamilton wants him wearing red.
Ferrari’s Crisis of Identity—Obey a Legend or Break Tradition
Scuderia Ferrari is no stranger to driver drama. They’ve managed Prost, Schumacher, Alonso, and Vettel. But Hamilton’s ultimatum is unlike anything in the team’s recent history—not only because of its content, but because of its timing and velocity.
Ferrari is only halfway through the first year of the Hamilton era. The global campaign to bring him in from Mercedes was enormous. Sponsorships were rearranged. Team structures reshuffled. And now, barely six months in, the seven-time champion is demanding that the two most bankable long-term assets—Leclerc and Bearman—be erased from the team’s future.
For Ferrari’s management, this is a war between stability and supremacy. On one hand, Leclerc has been loyal, well-spoken, and fast. On the other, he’s been inconsistent under pressure, and his popularity in Italy no longer reflects dominant results. Bearman, meanwhile, represents the future, but if Hamilton sees him as a long-term liability rather than a long-term partner, the damage to Ferrari’s internal chemistry is already done.
Sources inside Maranello say the board is now split. Some believe Colapinto is a worthwhile gamble—the spark Ferrari needs to become ruthless again. Others fear that bending to Hamilton’s every demand will turn Ferrari from a sacred institution into a one-man operation. But one reality looms over every conversation: Ferrari can no longer survive another decade without winning championships. And Hamilton may be their last shot.
The Grid Reacts—Panic, Positioning, and Mercedes in the Shadows
News of the ultimatum has already set off alarms across the grid. At Red Bull, sources say Max Verstappen was “amused and unimpressed,” believing Hamilton’s threat is a bluff meant to distract from his own internal Red Bull ultimatum. But Mercedes is watching closely.
Don’t forget: Hamilton’s departure from Mercedes was a graceful exit, not a falling out. Team principal Toto Wolff has left the door open to a reunion if the Ferrari project collapses. And now, with a vacuum potentially forming at Maranello, Mercedes could engineer the greatest comeback in F1 history—luring Hamilton back for one final mission.
Meanwhile, Franco Colapinto’s camp has reportedly been caught off guard. The driver himself has made no statement, but insiders close to his management confirm they are “aware and overwhelmed” by the storm now brewing. In a cruel twist, Colapinto could soon be thrust into the most uncomfortable position of his young career: accept the call from Ferrari and instantly become the man who ended Charles Leclerc’s dream, or stay quiet and potentially miss the opportunity of a lifetime.
Lewis Hamilton: From Driver to Kingmaker
With this ultimatum, Lewis Hamilton is no longer playing politics. He’s rewriting the rules of how power works in Formula 1. By demanding Ferrari restructure its entire driver lineup based on his personal evaluation, Hamilton has stepped into a role no driver has ever held at Maranello—executive authority.
And here’s the twist that chills everyone inside Ferrari: he might get exactly what he wants.
Because at this stage, Hamilton holds all the leverage. He is the team’s global identity, its commercial magnet, and its only proven world champion. If he walks, the fallout will be immense—in revenue, relevance, and reputation. Ferrari’s own sponsors are said to be watching the situation with “grave concern.” And behind closed doors, at least two senior stakeholders have allegedly told CEO Vigna, “Keep Lewis happy—or explain to shareholders why we’re rebuilding again in 2026.”
So now, the question echoes across Formula 1: Will Ferrari obey Hamilton and sign Franco Colapinto, sacrificing Leclerc and Bearman to do it? Or will they push back—and risk losing the greatest driver of the modern era after just one season?
The silence from Maranello speaks volumes.
And the clock is ticking.
