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James Hinchcliffe thinks Charles Leclerc outclassing Lewis Hamilton across the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix weekend sparks questions over the Briton being back to his best.
Hinchcliffe had enjoyed seeing Hamilton show a new lease of life over the opening rounds in Australia and China after a disappointing first season as a Ferrari driver in 2025. But Leclerc registering a dominant display in Japan cooled suggestions about Hamilton’s return to form.
Leclerc was the top Ferrari driver in every session at Suzuka, after he led Hamilton by 0.085s in FP1, 0.134s in FP2, 0.154s in FP3, 0.394s in Q1, 0.286s in Q2 and 0.162s in Q3. He also got P4 in qualifying against P6, and they finished 9.767s apart in the Japanese GP for P3 and P6.
Finishing behind Leclerc in every session at Suzuka marked a step backwards for Hamilton in the round immediately after he finally scored his first podium with Ferrari. Hamilton got P3 in the Chinese GP after beating Leclerc on track, but he lost confidence in the SF-26 in Japan.
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Hinchcliffe enjoyed Hamilton and Leclerc’s fight over P3 in the Chinese Grand Prix, which the Briton won by 3.627s. The former IndyCar driver thinks the Scuderia stars’ battle in Shanghai showed Hamilton is more comfortable with the new 2026 cars than in the ground-effect era.
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However, Hinchcliffe now wants to keep very close tabs on how Hamilton responds to being dominated by Leclerc in Japan before gauging whether the seven-time F1 champion is truly back to his best, given he also historically performs well in Australia and very well in China.
“It has been nice seeing Lewis Hamilton holding himself high in the paddock this season,” Hinchcliffe told the F1 website.
“The new year has given new life to the seven-time champ, and he’s proving he is just as hungry as ever – not just from what he is saying, but what he is doing behind the wheel.”
Hinchcliffe added: “Hamilton is still willing and perfectly able to go toe-to-toe with one of the best in the business. Seeing him finally lift a trophy in a GP for the Scuderia was a real highlight of the year so far.
“That said, he always runs well there and is pretty formidable in Australia, historically. With Leclerc having his number all weekend in Japan, I will be watching closely to see if this competitiveness continues or takes a similar trajectory as last season. Here’s hoping for the former.”
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Hamilton has won the Chinese Grand Prix a record seven times to date, including twice with McLaren before helping Mercedes make the Shanghai International Circuit their playground. He won in China in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019, while Nico Rosberg broke his streak in 2016.
The 41-year-old has also taken a total of 10 podiums in China following his P3 for Ferrari this March. He also boasts 10 podiums in Melbourne, as well as eight pole positions, but he only has two Australian Grand Prix wins to his name through 18 starts at Albert Park in his career.
Hinchcliffe’s suggestion that those records in Australia and China contributed to Hamilton’s stronger start in 2026 does not hold up when using the Japanese GP to pour cold water over his form, however. Hamilton has four Japanese Grand Prix wins and seven podiums to date.
Also, Hamilton felt he had a power deployment issue in the 2026 Japanese GP that stopped him from securing a stronger result at Suzuka this year. Yet the deployment issue only helps to mask some of his deficit to Leclerc during the race, rather than throughout the weekend.
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