Damon Hill tells Charles Leclerc what he now needs to become a Formula 1 world champion with Ferrari

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The 2026 Formula 1 season could be pivotal for the continued partnership between Ferrari and Charles Leclerc.

No driver in the history of Formula 1 has secured more pole positions than Charles Leclerc without eventually becoming a world champion.

It’s easy for the Monegasque driver to point to stats like that, and yet during his seven seasons with Ferrari, he’s never been in serious contention to win a drivers’ championship.

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Ultimately, something needs to change soon, and Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur will be desperate for the team’s next car to give Leclerc what he wants before he seriously starts to consider his future.

Leclerc has told his manager to hold off talking to other teams, but if any of Ferrari’s rivals believe that he could be available in the near future, they won’t hesitate to act.

Damon Hill and Justin Bell have been speaking about Leclerc after a frustrating 2025 campaign.

The 1996 world champion believes that Leclerc is more than capable of following in his footsteps; he just needs Ferrari to give him the right car.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Damon Hill thinks Charles Leclerc can be F1 world champion with Ferrari in the right car

Speaking on the Drive to Wynn Podcast, Bell said: “I think we do have to give credit to Leclerc.

“I think Charles has also got to the end of the year and just thrown everything at it.

“I think when the car was quick, he looked bullish. And I think at least he ended with a bit of a high note, which is important, I imagine, in Maranello.”

Hill replied: “Yeah, I don’t think anyone can look at what Charles has done and not conclude that he’s an extremely fast racing driver and got the potential to become a world champion.

Finish the sentence: In 2027, Charles Leclerc will be driving for _____

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“They just need to give him the car. I think Lewis did have a better race [in Abu Dhabi].

“I mean, he got up into the points, but it’s not been a season that he will look back on. It might even be worse than 2021 for him.

“I mean, the disappointment was massive then, but this season has been really a choker for him.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

How Ferrari are preparing for the 2026 Formula 1 season

Pre-season testing begins in a few weeks, but any running done behind closed doors in Barcelona is unlikely to be representative of what will happen on track at the first race in Australia.

Instead, two separate outings in Bahrain in February will reveal a lot more, but until the lights go out in Melbourne, all 11 teams will be entering the season with plenty of encouragement.

Ferrari’s decision to stop development of their 2025 car in April was a gamble, and it puts even more pressure on next year’s machine being a success.

The Scuderia are already taking inspiration from McLaren and their recent success to try and return to the top of the standings.

Ferrari are more interested in looking at McLaren’s approach to success as opposed to the specific parts they’re developing for next year’s car.

Positive noises are being made about Ferrari’s 2026 engine, but once again, without being able to compare their work to what Mercedes, Honda, Audi and Red Bull have done, they won’t know how competitive they are until qualifying at Albert Park.

All of this will be in the back of Leclerc’s mind as he prepares for 2026, knowing that he’s starting to run out of time to fulfil his full potential on the F1 grid.