Overwhelmed by Charles Leclerc during his first season at Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton is now holding his own against him. And the seven-time world champion has even taken the lead where it matters most.
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At the end of the 2025 season, the conclusion was hard to avoid. In his first year at Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton had been largely overshadowed by Charles Leclerc. A few months later, the balance of power has dramatically changed.
After eleven Grands Prix in 2026, the two men are practically tied in qualifying: 6-5 in favor of Leclerc. In races, however, Hamilton has scored 169 points against 138, 31 more than his teammate. He has also led for 367 laps, compared to 288 for the Monegasque.
These figures take on a whole new dimension when compared to last season’s.
From 19-5 to near parity
In 2025, Leclerc had dealt a severe 19-5 defeat to Hamilton in qualifying. The Briton had also finished his first campaign in red without a single podium, while his teammate had secured seven.
This first season raised questions about Hamilton’s ability to regain his best form. Was he simply unable to adapt to ground effect cars? Was his change of environment after twelve seasons at Mercedes more difficult than expected?
The new technical regulations of 2026 reshuffled the cards. But Ferrari also worked to help its driver better exploit his car.
Hamilton himself notably credited Frédéric Vasseur for the changes made to facilitate his adaptation, whether it was braking materials or his approach to the simulator.
The result is spectacular: the wide gap observed in 2025 has practically disappeared.
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Leclerc remains slightly faster over one lap
However, it would be excessive to claim that Hamilton has now taken the upper hand in all areas.
Leclerc retains a slight advantage in qualifying, with six wins against five. The gaps are often very small. In Shanghai, only 13 thousandths separated the Ferraris. In Austria, 59 thousandths. And at Spa, the gap was just two thousandths of a second, this time in favor of Leclerc.
Hungary, however, offered a spectacular illustration of Hamilton’s regained competitiveness over one lap: the Briton beat his teammate by 0.226 seconds, his biggest advantage in the first half of the season.
It is especially on Sundays that the difference appears in the standings. The two drivers have each finished ahead of the other five times when a comparison was possible, but Hamilton has been more consistent and now holds this 31-point lead. His victory in Spain is obviously one of the highlights of this first half of the championship.
Hamilton is once again a title contender
Not everything has been perfect, however. Leclerc has missed opportunities with several mistakes, including accidents in qualifying in Barcelona and Monaco. Hamilton, for his part, has repeatedly drawn the attention of the stewards, accumulating sometimes avoidable penalties.
But the main thing is elsewhere. Twelve months after seeming clearly behind Leclerc, Hamilton approaches the summer break as the closest challenger to Antonelli in the championship.
Leclerc remains a formidable reference over one lap. Hamilton, meanwhile, has erased much of the doubt born from his first season at Ferrari in eleven Grands Prix.
The 19-5 of 2025 already seems very far away. And this time, it is Hamilton who holds the advantage in the championship.
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