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Charles Leclerc was set to face his biggest challenge yet at Ferrari after Lewis Hamilton joined from Mercedes, but it proved to be no contest.
The Monegasque driver established himself as the lead driver in Maranello, dominating his seven-time world champion teammate across 2025.
Leclerc won the Saturday head-to-head battle 19-5 over Hamilton and collected seven podiums and one pole position. But despite these impressive achievements in a difficult car, most of the attention was on his teammate’s struggles.
Finish the sentence: Lewis Hamilton will finish the 2026 F1 season in ______
Hamilton went without a podium for the first time in a calendar year and looked constantly dejected after race weekends, even saying in Budapest that he should be replaced.
Leclerc had to explain why Hamilton was struggling several times, something that George Russell had to do in his final years at Mercedes. The Brit has not fully gotten to grips with his new surroundings at Ferrari, being heavily critical of their operations throughout the season.
Leclerc said that Hamilton still needs time to adapt to the environment in Maranello. But it would seem that the 28-year-old is not interested in helping him with that adaptation.
Charles Leclerc is showing ‘professional coldness’ as he rejects being Lewis Hamilton’s ‘mentor’ at Ferrari
As a report from Grada3 notes, Hamilton added a ‘new source of internal pressure’ for Leclerc, given his incredible success in F1. Ultimately, the Monegasque driver came out on top, but his teammate has still ‘changed the team’s dynamics’.
Sharing a garage with statistically the greatest F1 driver of all time, if Hamilton were to adapt better than Leclerc to the 2026 regulations, the latter would be under huge pressure at Ferrari. That would explain why he has changed his attitude.
Leclerc now has ‘absolute professional coldness’ at Ferrari. He has ‘rejected’ the idea of becoming Hamilton’s ‘mentor’ within the team, as he cannot afford to dedicate his time helping a rival.
Leclerc wants to be a world champion with Ferrari, but he is losing patience after years of unreliability and missed chances. On paper, Hamilton still poses a serious threat, and he is not interested in giving him guidance in Maranello.
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Ferrari are on their final chance to convince Charles Leclerc to stay beyond 2026
It was widely reported in 2025 that Leclerc could look to leave Ferrari as early as 2027. Despite having a contract until 2029, years of failure and very little progress have made the 28-year-old frustrated.
Grada3 reports that Leclerc will give Ferrari ‘one more chance’ in 2026. If the new regulations do not bring success to him and the team, he will explore other options, and he is not exactly short of suitors.
How do you rate Charles Leclerc’s time with Ferrari?
Aston Martin see Leclerc as a ‘future leader’, while Mercedes are also keeping tabs on the Ferrari star. Either team will certainly pull the trigger if he were to call time on his spell in Maranello.
Naturally, Ferrari are worried about losing their golden talent. Fred Vassuer wants Leclerc to sign a new contract and commit his future to the team, but unless they are competitive, that does not seem likely.
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