The Japanese Grand Prix weekend clearly highlighted a power dynamic in Charles Leclerc’s favor within Scuderia Ferrari: Eddie Irvine is sounding the alarm for Hamilton.
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The Monegasque was generally superior in all important phases, whether on a qualifying lap or in race pace, which adds weight to the analysis of Eddie Irvine, himself a former Ferrari driver, when he speaks of a ‘dominated’ driver.
It is not simply a failed weekend for Lewis Hamilton, but rather an indicator of a real performance gap at this stage of the season.
New engineer
For Hamilton, the situation remains nuanced nonetheless. His start to the 2026 season is solid in terms of points, with a fourth place in Melbourne and a podium in China, but these results still mask an obvious adaptation phase. He is discovering a new car, a new technical environment, and a different working methodology from the one he knew at Mercedes.
Furthermore, he is not yet operating within a structure fully optimized for him, notably while waiting for the arrival of Cédric Michel-Grosjean as race engineer starting in Miami, which could play a key role in his rise in performance.
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In this context, Leclerc benefits from a significant structural advantage: he knows the team, its tools, and its settings perfectly, and seems more comfortable with the current characteristics of the car. This allows him not only to be more performant but also to gradually establish a status as a natural leader internally.
Development race
Beyond the duel between the two drivers, Irvine also highlights a deeper factor related to Ferrari itself. Maranello’s geographical distance from the heart of the Formula 1 ecosystem, primarily located in the United Kingdom, can limit the team’s responsiveness and development capacity compared to structures like Mercedes.
This means that, despite an extremely competitive driver duo, overall performance remains heavily dependent on the team’s ability to develop its car. Thus, if the current trend continues, Hamilton could find himself in a more opportunistic role in the short term, while Leclerc would establish himself as the reference point.
However, the situation remains open: a significant technical improvement or a better integration of Hamilton into his new environment could quickly reshuffle the deck. In this scenario, and as Irvine suggests, a Ferrari victory — and potentially one for Hamilton — remains entirely conceivable during the season.
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