Leclerc’s Lull: What’s Happening to Ferrari’s Superstar Driver?

• Lewis Hamilton has quickly established himself as Ferrari’s benchmark driver in 2026, raising fresh questions about Charles Leclerc’s form despite the Monegasque’s long-term status within the team.
• A combination of inconsistency, costly mistakes and ongoing brake-related confidence issues has left Leclerc 46 points behind Hamilton in the championship despite Ferrari sitting second in the constructors’ standings.
• With Hamilton recently committing his future to Ferrari and adapting strongly to the new regulations, Leclerc faces mounting pressure to rediscover his pace if he wants to remain the team’s leading title contender.

Watch every race of the 2026 season live on Apple TV

The 2026 Formula 1 season has been one of great disappointment for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, just eight races in, as Lewis Hamilton seems to be the new man leading the Scuderia forward. Fresh off signing a brand-new deal to stay with Ferrari until the end of the decade, questions need to be asked about why Leclerc is so far off the pace and what the future of Ferrari holds.

An eighth-place finish in last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix has only sharpened the spotlight on Leclerc. 45 seconds off the winner, George Russell, and nearly 20 seconds off teammate Hamilton, continues the trend of trailing the leading pack.  The Monegasque qualified in second place, but a combination of poor tyre wear from the Ferrari and a lack of confidence from Leclerc saw him slip back behind the quicker Mercedes, McLarens and Red Bulls to round out the midfield.

Of course, we have to acknowledge Leclerc’s inconsistency and overdriving that has continued into 2026. Whilst Hamilton seems much more comfortable sticking to the limits of his Ferrari, Leclerc takes risks and has pushed too far too often this season. In Miami, Leclerc looked on for a third or fourth place, but after falling off the podium to Oscar Piastri lost control over his car and fell four extra positions on the penultimate lap.

During qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix, Charles crashed out in Q3 and took responsibility for over-pushing. A hydraulic failure with just four laps to go rendered the weekend pointless, but his biggest struggles came in his home race in Monaco. Brake issues, which Leclerc blamed, made him “look like an idiot” when talking to the media post-race. His continual brake problems have cost Leclerc valuable confidence and frustrated his side of the garage compared to the high-flying Hamilton.

Despite Ferrari sitting second in the constructors’ championship, Leclerc sits sixth and 46-points behind Hamilton.  He’s only ahead of the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, who have faced a turbulent season, but Verstappen has closed that gap to Leclerc. Charles has three races before the mid-season break and is in desperate need of finding pace relative to his teammate.

In my mind, 2026 has been the exact opposite of the previous rules era, where Hamilton famously struggled and lost all confidence. The same now could potentially be said of Leclerc in a battery-dependent rules era.

Whilst it’s far too early to draw conclusions on Leclerc’s long-term championship chances with Ferrari, it does look as if Ferrari were to deliver a title-contending car in 2027 or 2028, it would be Lewis Hamilton who could take his eighth world title instead of Leclerc’s first. Charles needs to pick up his consistency and overall pace if he wants to be Ferrari’s future.

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Written by

Oliver van Bronswijk

Oliver van Bronswijk is a Formula 1, Cricket and AFL journalist who has a large array of industry experience in Melbourne, Australia. He has delivered Formula 1 coverage both trackside and from afar, depicting the key issues in the world's fastest sport. Oliver also works as a 3AW Content Producer focused on AFL coverage working in the inner sanctum.

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