Lewis Hamilton is having second thoughts about Ferrari status after Charles Leclerc’s British GP win

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Lewis Hamilton was certain that he had proven himself to be Ferrari’s team leader, yet Charles Leclerc winning the 2026 F1 British Grand Prix is giving him second thoughts.

The tide had turned in Maranello earlier this year, as Hamilton started to take control inside a factory that had been built around Leclerc over the previous seven seasons. Hamilton had even found himself comprehensively crushed by Leclerc upon joining him at Ferrari in 2025.

Leclerc exploited Hamilton’s issues adapting to the first non-English F1 team of his career in the last year of the ground-effect era to beat the Briton 19-5 in qualifying and 18-3 in Grand Prix races. But while Leclerc leads 5-4 in qualifying in 2026, Hamilton is 6-3 ahead in races.

Hamilton even boasted 132 points, plus a Grand Prix win in Barcelona, to Leclerc’s 83 points entering Sunday’s British GP. But Leclerc won the British GP as Hamilton fell to third place at Silverstone after losing a spot to George Russell of Mercedes by pitting under the safety car.

What do you make of Ferrari’s call to pit Lewis Hamilton under the late safety car?

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Lewis Hamilton is no longer convinced he is Ferrari’s team leader after Charles Leclerc’s win

Hamilton did not threaten Leclerc during the British GP, as well, as the 41-year-old spent the early part of his race unsuccessfully trying to hold off Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Even when Antonelli’s broken wheel shield wrecked his race, Hamilton was a distant 20.3 seconds behind Leclerc once race control neutralised the event after Max Verstappen spun at Stowe.

READ MORE: The best moments of Lewis Hamilton’s career in Formula 1

Leclerc’s British GP victory has even forced Hamilton to start to have second thoughts about his place in Ferrari’s pecking order. Corriere della Sera reports that Hamilton was ‘convinced’ that he had surpassed Leclerc to emerge as Ferrari’s ‘team leader’ but it is no longer certain.

Ferrari saw a revived Leclerc score his first victory since the 2024 United States Grand Prix with a perfect performance in the 2026 British GP. The 28-year-old did not put a foot wrong, and would have given Antonelli a real fight for the lead without the Italian’s race unravelling.

Maurizio Arrivabene does not believe Ferrari need to pick a number one driver ‘right now’

Now, while Hamilton thought he had wrestled the team leader role away from Leclerc going into the British GP, even scoring pole position for the F1 Sprint and finishing it in second was not enough for the home hero to depart Silverstone feeling confident that he is Ferrari’s No1.

READ MORE: The best moments of Charles Leclerc’s career in Formula 1

Charles Leclerc wins the British Grand Prix! Was he lucky, or was it fully deserved?

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Instead, it falls back on Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur to say whether or not Hamilton is the number one driver in Maranello, Leclerc remains the Scuderia’s team leader, or whether the pair are equals. Leclerc’s British GP win even moved him to within 39 points of Hamilton.

Former Ferrari team boss Mauricio Arrivabene does not believe Vasseur needs to pick a No1 driver between Hamilton and Leclerc, at least not yet, however. Arrivabene believes Ferrari’s line-up can survive as equals with Hamilton and Leclerc working together to beat Mercedes.

“Managing Leclerc and Hamilton? I don’t think it’s as difficult as it seems,” Arrivabene told Sky Sports Italy, via quotes by Formula Passion.

“There are circuits where one is stronger, and [tracks where] the other is stronger. At the right time, a decision will be made. But, right now, the only choice left is to stay ahead of Mercedes.”

Russell snatching P2 from Hamilton after electing against pitting under the late safety car on Sunday at Silverstone moved the Briton onto 154 points for the season so far – just 25 fewer than teammate Antonelli boasts to top the drivers’ standings through nine of the 22 rounds.

Hamilton sits third in the championship with 147 points, while Leclerc is now fourth and has 108 points. Altogether, the state of play leaves Mercedes with 333 points and Ferrari on 255 points for first and second in the constructors’ table ahead of the Belgian GP on July 17-19.