Juan Pablo Montoya says Charles Leclerc should have ‘backed off’ after Lewis Hamilton penalty

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Charles Leclerc finished ahead of Lewis Hamilton at the Hungarian Grand Prix after the latter was penalised for speeding in the pit lane.

The Ferrari drivers qualified second and third, but Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen jumped them at the start. Hamilton looked to be the quicker driver throughout the Hungarian Grand Prix, but the team did not maximise their package.

After Piastri’s unfortunate retirement, the frontrunners, except Verstappen and Antonelli, pitted for new tyres. Hamilton broke the speed limit by 0.1km/h to beat Antonelli out for P3, and was hit with a five-second time penalty, despite handing the position to the Italian.

Juan Pablo Montoya says Ferrari should have told Charles Leclerc to ‘back off’ for Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton crossed the line in P4, 4.3 seconds ahead of teammate Leclerc in fifth. Subsequently, he was dropped behind the Monegasque driver, costing him points in the championship.

Hamilton is now 50 points behind Antonelli heading into the summer break, while Leclerc is 31 points behind his teammate in fourth. Juan Pablo Montoya thinks Ferrari should have told Leclerc to ‘back off’ and help Hamilton’s title bid.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

He said via F1 TV: “When you look at the history of Ferrari starts, you’ve got to take a chance, because if they get the track position, they have the best shot at winning the race.

“They know if they’re not leading it out of turn one, they’re not going to win. So they had to go for it. It didn’t work out.

“And I think the hard thing for Ferrari today, they were quick in the wrong places. For a lap time, they had a really quick car, but in the places where you can overtake, they were not the best car. So it just made their life hard.

“And the other thing I have to say, I was surprised they didn’t ask Charles to back off for those points because at the end of the day, being fourth or fifth, if it was for a podium, I understand Charles fighting for that podium.

“But if it’s for points and Lewis is in the position that is in the championship, if I was Ferrari, I would ask Charles to back off a second or something.”

Should Ferrari have used team orders after Lewis Hamilton’s penalty, or would that have been unfair on Charles Leclerc?

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Hamilton has had the upper hand with the new regulations in 2026. Leclerc has been copying his teammate’s setup and even his brakes to get comfortable in the SF-26. Many have seen that as a sign that the seven-time champion should be prioritised.

Jolyon Palmer thinks Leclerc needs to start letting Hamilton past, as the Brit is Ferrari’s best chance of winning the championship at the moment. The Hungarian GP was another example of where that maybe should have happened.