Long considered the benchmark at Ferrari, Charles Leclerc is experiencing an unusual situation this season against Lewis Hamilton.
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Has the hierarchy changed at Ferrari? After largely gaining the upper hand over Lewis Hamilton in 2025, Charles Leclerc is facing more difficulties against the seven-time world champion since the start of the new season.
Hamilton has completely reversed the trend with the arrival of the new technical regulations. After a particularly difficult first campaign under Ferrari colors, the Briton now occupies second place in the championship and holds a 31-point lead over his teammate.
An unusual situation for Leclerc, who has been the main reference of the Scuderia for several years. According to former Formula 1 engineer Rob Smedley, the Monegasque even seemed somewhat “lost” at times during the first half of the season.
Hamilton has taken the upper hand
Arriving at Ferrari in 2019, Leclerc gradually took a central place in the Maranello project. Even Hamilton’s arrival in 2025 did not immediately disrupt this hierarchy.
The seven-time world champion had a difficult first season with the Scuderia, failing to reach the podium and regularly being outperformed by his teammate.
But the regulation change in 2026 reshuffled the cards. Hamilton seems much more comfortable with the SF-26 and has regularly shown better performance than Leclerc.
“It’s the first time in a long time, with Charles, that his teammate has had such a significant advantage, as was the case in the middle of this first half of the season,” explained Smedley on the High Performance Racing podcast.
Leclerc “slightly lost”
The difficulties faced by Leclerc are not solely related to his teammate’s performance. The Monegasque also struggled to find his marks with certain aspects of his car.
Ferrari notably made several changes to help him regain more confidence.
“Charles was not satisfied with the car. I know they changed some things, including components around the braking system, types of materials, and other elements of that kind.”
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Despite these adjustments, Smedley believes he observed a quite unusual situation for a driver of Leclerc’s caliber and experience.
“But I felt he was just slightly lost, which is surprising for a driver with his experience and level.”
The Monegasque himself acknowledged in recent weeks that the new cars were particularly complex to understand, especially due to the interaction between driving, energy management, and various settings.
No need to intervene at Ferrari
Former Formula 1 team principal Otmar Szafnauer does not believe Ferrari should intervene directly with Leclerc.
Asked how he would handle such a situation, the former Alpine boss thinks it would be better to let the driver naturally regain his bearings while providing the necessary support.
“No, leave him alone. I wouldn’t have a particular conversation with him, but I would remain available to support him.”
Szafnauer also believes the trend is already starting to change. While Hamilton had, in his opinion, clearly taken the advantage at the start of the season, the gap between the two Ferrari drivers has recently narrowed.
“Lewis, at the beginning of the year – and I’m not speaking from specific facts, just the impression I have – had a bit more of a lead over Leclerc than today.”
“Charles has raised his level against Lewis in the last two races.”
With 11 Grands Prix remaining in the season, Leclerc still has many opportunities to reverse the momentum. But after dominating his prestigious teammate in 2025, the Monegasque now faces a much less familiar situation: having to regain the upper hand over a Hamilton who has returned to the forefront.
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