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Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies has said team orders will likely be forthcoming in the second half of the season.

While Charles Leclerc continues to lead the Ferrari title challenge as he lies second in the Drivers’ Championship, 80 points behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz’s stronger mid-season run means the Spaniard is only 22 points behind his team-mate.

Up to now, Ferrari have not tried to introduce team orders, allowing Sainz to have a fair crack at recovering from his poor start to the season. This saw Ferrari almost throw away victory at Silverstone, with Sainz holding up the evidently quicker Leclerc and allowing them to come under pressure from the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.

But with Red Bull evidently throwing their weight behind Verstappen in the title fight, Mekies said team orders will be introduced at Ferrari when the moment is right.

“I think it is more discussed outside Ferrari than inside Ferrari,” he told media over the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.

“But more seriously, again, we have always been very clear. We target to have the best result for the team. Ferrari comes first.

“Then, of course, there will be a point when we will need to focus more on a driver compared to the other one if the championship position is requiring. So it does not mean waiting for a mathematical difference, but it means being at the point of the season when you think it is the right thing to do.”

While Leclerc has shown more pace overall this season,