Lewis Hamilton told what he must improve at Ferrari in 2026 as worrying Charles Leclerc stat emerges

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Lewis Hamilton’s first season with Ferrari did not go to plan at all as he struggled immensely in red in 2025.

Things started out with optimism after the seven-time champion won the Sprint race in China. But that would be his, and in fact, Ferrari’s, only win of the season as Hamilton and Charles Leclerc could only drag the team to fourth in the standings.

The SF-25 was miles behind the top three competitors, but Leclerc still managed to drag the car to seven podiums in 2025. The same could not be said for Hamilton, who went without a Grand Prix podium for the first time in his F1 career.

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A Ferrari mechanic conceded ‘we never celebrate’ after their woeful campaign, and Hamilton’s was particularly damning. The 40-year-old struggled with numerous flaws at Ferrari, from operational errors to poor upgrade packages and miscommunication with race engineer Riccardo Adami.

But the Brit’s performances also have to be looked at, having grabbed just 156 points in 2025. Ralf Schumacher thinks Ferrari should replace Hamilton immediately, and when one looks at his results, the improvements needed are obvious.

Lewis Hamilton told to improve his qualifying at Ferrari as Karun Chandhok assesses worrying defeat to Charles Leclerc

One major problem for Hamilton, especially in the ground effect era, has been qualifying. He has lost the immense pace and skill he once showed over one lap, getting knocked out in Q1 in the final three races of 2025.

His performance compared to Leclerc was damaging, losing 19-5 in the intra-team battle at Ferrari. Karun Chandhok noted how Hamilton had lost 14-2 after the Belgian GP, highlighting just how much he needs to improve in 2026.

“But from that Sunday in China, it just fell apart. Leclerc got seven podiums, none for Lewis this year.” said Chandhok via The F1 Show.

“There was a phase after the summer break where I thought: ‘OK, the pace is coming back and he was matching Leclerc.’ And then again, it went away.

“I mean, I think from the sprint qualifying in Belgium, Leclerc outqualified Lewis 14-2. That’s a big score, isn’t it, to the end of the season. So yeah, hopefully you’ll have a good reset and come back. But it’s a make-or-break season, I think, for that relationship.”

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Ted Kravitz says qualifying is the ‘only thing’ Lewis Hamilton needs to address at Ferrari in 2026

Colleague Ted Kravitz added that Hamilton needs to improve his qualifying performance, but Ferrari must also listen to his feedback. Hamilton’s wishes were ignored when it came to upgrades, and also with his private documents sent to the team.

“The only thing he needs to address is the qualifying performance, because the rest is just whether Ferrari listen to him on the changes he wants,” said Kravitz.

“He said, like Carlos Sainz said when he was at Ferrari, Ferrari have everything it takes to be a championship-winning team. What he didn’t complete that sentence, and what Sainz now really completes that sentence, is they’re just not doing it.

“Or are they just not doing it? Or why are they just not doing it? Or I can see what they need to be a championship team, but we’re not just there yet.

“So let’s get back to, they have everything they need to be a championship-winning team. They’re going to take Hamilton’s advice and on board. Or is the little deficit, the one deficit he’s got, which is the qualifying performance and pace, especially when it comes to Q3.

“And this generation of cars and this generation of tyres, will that be rectified? But if that carries on to 2026, then I think you’re probably looking at him just seeing out his contract at Ferrari for one more year.”