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Lewis Hamilton put on a vintage performance at the Canadian Grand Prix to secure his best result in Ferrari colours so far, but the next round of racing may prove to be a brutal reality check in his battle with teammate Charles Leclerc.
The seven-time world champion was on form from the minute he arrived in Montreal, showcasing an edge over his Monegasque teammate in the majority of sessions that took place during the race weekend.
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In fact, the only session that Leclerc managed to get the better of Hamilton came during the Sprint race. A mistake from the Briton at the final chicane saw him suffer some damage to his rear suspension, allowing Oscar Piastri and Leclerc to snatch a couple of extra points.
However, all in all, it was a spell-binding weekend for Hamilton, topped off by a stunning around-the-outside move on Max Verstappen during the latter stages of Sunday’s Grand Prix.
The move came after a lengthy hunt for the Dutchman. In the end, Hamilton’s pace prevailed, scoring 18 points for his championship challenge, and thoroughly putting one over on Leclerc.
The Monaco Grand Prix will be Lewis Hamilton’s biggest test against Charles Leclerc in 2026
Despite his fine form in Canada, the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix will be more of an indication of where Hamilton currently stacks up against his younger teammate.
Ferrari have already been tipped for success in Monaco due to the prowess of the SF-26’s aerodynamics package, which should prove to be in a league of its own on a circuit where optimal engine power isn’t an overarching necessity.
Should Charles Leclerc be worried about Lewis Hamilton’s upturn in form?
A plethora of low-speed corners await the grid upon their arrival to the Monte Carlo-based street circuit, a big strong point of Ferrari’s 2026 challenger.
However, it is also a circuit that Leclerc loves, having grown up watching the race just a few hundred metres away from where he lived. He is a three-time pole-sitter at the circuit, and registered a fairytale victory in the principality during the 2024 edition of the race.
Of course, Hamilton is no slouch there either, but on a circuit where qualifying is deemed even more important than the race itself, Leclerc’s second-to-none one-lap pace could prove to be the deciding factor.
During a recent episode of the F1 Insider podcast, renowned journalist Ralf Bach noted how another victory for Hamilton in the Ferrari head-to-head at Monaco could prove fatal for Leclerc’s confidence.
He said, “If Hamilton beats Leclerc in Monaco, he’s absolutely on the right track, because that’s Leclerc’s track. He’s been on pole there twice already and has always been right up there.
“He’s one of the fastest there. And the Ferrari should look pretty good in Monaco, given its design with mechanical grip. So, for me, they’re a bit of a dark horse.”
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