Jolyon Palmer reckons Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are so caught up in beating each other at Ferrari that they're actually damaging the team's championship push. The former Renault driver watched Singapore unfold and spotted the exact moment Hamilton's competitive instinct overrode what was best for the Scuderia. When Ferrari told Hamilton to pit under the virtual safety car, he ignored them. Palmer thinks the seven-time champion did this because pitting would've locked him behind Leclerc, and Hamilton wanted a chance to finish ahead of his teammate instead.

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Hamilton's gamble backfired spectacularly. He stayed out on soft tyres hoping to gain an advantage, but it went pear-shaped. Leclerc pitted, came back out ahead of him, and Hamilton kept dropping positions until he limped home in sixth place. For context, Hamilton's currently leading Leclerc 9-8 in their head-to-head Grand Prix records this season, so that extra point mattered to him. But Palmer argues this is exactly the problem at Ferrari right now. The two drivers are so focused on their personal battle that they're costing the team crucial points in the constructors' championship fight.

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This isn't a new issue either, according to Palmer. He pointed to the Dutch Grand Prix, where Leclerc made an impossible dive up the inside at Turn 6 on the final lap that torpedoed both their chances of challenging George Russell for a podium. Then there was Monza, where Hamilton went up the inside at the first chicane and Leclerc forced him off the road, destroying Hamilton's race before it barely started. Hamilton was furious because Ferrari didn't use team orders to help him, and the tension just kept building.

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Palmer said on the F1 website that Frank conversations have definitely happened between the team and both drivers, but Singapore proved those chats haven't solved the underlying issue. The fundamental problem is that Hamilton and Leclerc are too willing to take risks against each other without thinking about the bigger picture for Ferrari. Every time they tangle or make strategy calls based on their rivalry rather than team benefit, Ferrari leaves points on the table. With McLaren breathing down their neck in the constructors' standings, Ferrari can't afford this kind of internal warfare.

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