Hamilton and Leclerc Take Over Ferrari’s Instagram in Singapore

For about two hours on media day at the Singapore Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc ran Ferrari’s social media accounts. They changed the team’s profile picture, posted reels from the motorhome and went live with fans. Ferrari then issued a mock statement about an “unprecedented incident.”

The Ferrari social media takeover became one of the fastest-rising F1 searches of the week in the US. Here is what happened.

What Happened

The takeover took place on Thursday, October 8, ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix. According to Motorsport Week, the drivers posted mainly on Instagram:

• They replaced Ferrari’s logo in the profile picture with a selfie of the two of them
• They posted reels and photos from behind the scenes in the Ferrari motorhome
• They ran several Instagram Lives and answered fans
• The team’s X account told fans to follow Leclerc’s own account

RacingNews365 adds that they played with camera filters and commented on other drivers’ posts.

Ferrari’s Mock Statement

Once the accounts were back in the hands of the media team, Ferrari posted a statement written like a corporate security notice. It said two individuals within the organization had gained “unauthorised control” of its channels for around two hours and made “highly questionable editorial decisions.” It added that the two suspects had been identified, the situation was contained, and control had been restored.

The statement never named the drivers. It did not need to.

Why Fans Loved It

Ferrari’s accounts are usually polished and tightly managed. Seeing the two drivers joke around, react to comments and change the team’s look in real time gave fans a different view of the team. It also showed an easy relationship between Hamilton and Leclerc in Hamilton’s second season at Ferrari.

A Lighter Week Before a Tough Sunday

The fun did not carry into the race. Hamilton finished second in the sprint, but on Sunday he missed his pit entry under a Virtual Safety Car and dropped from podium contention to sixth. Leclerc finished second behind Max Verstappen. Our Singapore results recap covers how Ferrari’s strategy split the two drivers.

Where Ferrari Stand

Ferrari are second in the constructors’ standings with 444 points, 134 behind Mercedes. Hamilton is third in the drivers’ standings and Leclerc is fifth, both in the five-way fight for second place. See the full F1 standings 2026.

The next chance for both drivers to score is at the United States Grand Prix in Austin. Paddock life has been a topic all week, and Max Verstappen took a very different view of it in his comments about the paddock.

What media day actually is

Thursday at a European Grand Prix has no on-track running for Formula 1 cars. It is media day.

Drivers sit for press conferences, do broadcast interviews and meet sponsor guests. Teams shoot content for the weekend, and the paddock fills up with people who are not part of the racing operation. For a driver, it is a full working day with none of the usual escape of a session.

That is the slot the Ferrari takeover filled. There was no practice to prepare for and no lap time at stake, which is why two drivers had two hours to spend on a phone.

Why handing over an account works

The maths behind a takeover is simple. A driver’s own account usually reaches a different and often larger audience than the team’s does, and a takeover borrows that audience for the team.

It also costs nothing to produce. A post shot on a phone in a motorhome will outperform a scripted brand video on engagement, because followers can tell the difference between content made for them and content made for a sponsor deck.

The risk is real too. A team account is an asset that sponsors pay to appear on, and the driver holding it is not a trained communications officer. That is exactly why Ferrari’s response was a joke rather than a reprimand.

What teams post across a weekend

Team accounts follow a predictable rhythm. Practice clips and garage shots on Friday, qualifying reaction and grid graphics on Saturday, then race-day content built around the result.

The takeover broke that rhythm, which is why it travelled. For two hours the account did not sound like a team at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Hamilton and Leclerc take over Ferrari’s Instagram?

On Thursday, October 8, 2026, media day at the Singapore Grand Prix.

How long did the takeover last?

About two hours, according to Ferrari’s mock statement.

How did Ferrari do in Singapore?

Leclerc finished second and Hamilton sixth after a strategy error under the Virtual Safety Car.

What is media day at a Formula 1 weekend?

The Thursday before a European Grand Prix, when there is no on-track running. Drivers do press conferences, broadcast interviews and sponsor commitments while teams shoot content.

Why did Ferrari call the takeover an ‘unprecedented incident’?

It was a joke. The team wrote the statement like a corporate security notice, never named the drivers, and posted it once control of the accounts had been handed back.