F1 2026: Lewis Hamilton's form is not as good as it seems

Lewis Hamilton

Why Lewis Hamilton's 2026 form is not as good as it seems

Lewis Hamilton has already claimed a podium in 2026

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 4 April 2026 08:56

Lewis Hamilton's start to the 2026 season might not be quite as good as it seems, with a former Ferrari F1 driver pointing out a different way of looking at his results.

Hamilton has managed to banish his Ferrari grand prix podium hoodoo which was with him throughout his first season at Ferrari in 2025, by claiming third spot at the Chinese Grand Prix last month.

That podium, coupled with some other solid race results means that he is sat in fourth in the drivers' championship, with Ferrari desperately trying to find ways to get ahead of the dominant Mercedes outfit.

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But in the final year of his current Ferrari contract, Hamilton is ultimately going to be judged by his performances compared to team-mate Charles Leclerc.

The seven-time world champion finished 86 points behind Leclerc in the 2025 drivers' championship, but has managed to beat him in qualifying once this year and in one race, that podium-getting event in China.

It means that he is much closer to Leclerc in the early championship standings, just eight points behind the Monegasque driver.

But Hamilton was just five points behind Leclerc at the same stage last year, with the opening few races seeing him claim a sprint race victory and a seventh-place finish in Japan.

That sprint race victory came at the Chinese GP, the site of Hamilton's podium this year, and the Shanghai International Circuit is well known to be one of Hamilton's best tracks, offering him a chance to get off to a good start to the season.

Former Ferrari driver Eddie Irivne has pointed out that Hamilton's start to the season could well be viewed with rose-tinted spectacles because of his great result in China.

In the other two races so far in 2026, Hamilton has been beaten by Leclerc, including in Japan, where Irvine believes the 41-year-old was 'outclassed'.

"I wouldn't take it for granted," Irvine told Gazzetta about Hamilton's form. "In China he got on the podium for the first time with Ferrari, but that's his circuit. In Japan, however, he was outclassed by Charles Leclerc all weekend."

Hamilton looking to turn tables on Leclerc

2025 was the first season in Hamilton's illustrious career that he didn't claim a single grand prix podium, and that has led to some pretty damning statistics up against team-mate Leclerc.

Leclerc leads Hamilton 21-6 when it comes to grand prix qualifying sessions since they became team-mates, while he has beaten him in 20 races out of 24 that they have both finished.

The 86-point margin in 2025 was Hamilton's heaviest ever team-mate defeat, and he has now been beaten by a team-mate in three of the last four seasons.

While the pair have had some good battles so far in 2026, the Japanese GP potentially showed that Leclerc is still ahead of Hamilton when it comes to consistent performance.

F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Charles Leclerc Eddie Irvine