Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
Charles Leclerc has hit out at claims that Ferrari designed the SF-26 to be more suited to Lewis Hamilton’s driving style than his, as he insists that the theory is “not true”.
Leclerc completely dominated Hamilton in their head-to-head duels last season, as the latter struggled to adapt to Ferrari’s car and ways of working after moving to Maranello in the final year of the ground-effect era. Yet Hamilton has flipped the script under the new regulations.
After losing 19-5 to Leclerc in their qualifying duel last year, Hamilton leads the Monegasque 4-3 ahead of the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix. Hamilton also leads Leclerc 5-2 for race results in 2026, in stark contrast to his 18-3 defeat in 2025 in the races where at least one finished.
What is Lewis Hamilton’s weakest circuit in Formula 1?
Charles Leclerc rules out Ferrari designing the SF-26 to better suit Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton won his first Grand Prix for Ferrari in Barcelona, too, and he goes into the Austrian GP weekend second in the drivers’ standings with 115 points, while Leclerc is fourth with 75 points. It has all led some to think that Ferrari built the SF-26 to suit Hamilton’s driving style.
READ MORE: How to watch the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix on TV, plus the weather forecast
But Leclerc refutes those suggestions, and insists his struggles in recent weeks – for which he “lost a bit of confidence” – simply came down to him struggling to maximise Ferrari’s car. Leclerc also feels he was getting back on track in Barcelona before having a hydraulics issue.
“That’s not true,” Leclerc stated, via SPEEDWEEK, about the claims that Ferrari designed the SF-26’s handling to suit Hamilton more. “We have a lot of leeway with the set-up on the new cars, and I am not restricted in any way.”
Leclerc added: “The last few races haven’t been enjoyable. I didn’t feel comfortable in the car in Montreal and Monaco, and I lost a bit of confidence in it. On top of that, there were the retirements in Monaco and Spain. We’ve lost a lot of points.
“On the positive side, I felt more comfortable in the car again in Barcelona, and I hope that continues here. We have a winning car again, and if I do my part, then I can win again…
“I don’t have a fundamental problem with the car. Things went well at the beginning of the year. Only, as I said, was I restricted in Montreal and Monaco.
“I already felt more comfortable in Barcelona, and I also like the Red Bull Ring; it allows for a good rhythm, I like that. I’m not thinking about the fact that my last victory was a while ago. I know the Ferrari is a winning car again, Lewis has proven it. Now, it’s up to me.”
Give us your podium prediction for the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend 👇
Leclerc was nowhere whilst Hamilton secured P2 in the Canadian Grand Prix, but he was on course to join the Briton on the podium in Monaco before a late crash that the Monegasque blamed on his brakes. Leclerc also lost a lot of time in traffic in Barcelona, before he retired.
Ferrari changed Leclerc’s brake set-up to copy Hamilton’s in Barcelona to try to help him get a better feeling after crashing out in Monaco. Leclerc had initially stuck with Brembo’s discs after his teammate made the switch to Carbon Industrie discs as early as the Japanese GP.
Hamilton prefers the instant feel that Carbon Industrie’s discs offer with his braking style. It now remains to be seen whether Leclerc can get back on track to join Hamilton in the fight for race wins, or whether the implications of how F1’s 2026 regulations have changed how cars behave under braking have had a broader negative impact on the Monegasque’s style.
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
