F1 star Charles Leclerc talks openly about Lewis Hamilton battle and hints at Ferrari issues

Ferrari

Charles Leclerc talks openly about Lewis Hamilton battle and hints at Ferrari issues

Leclerc and Hamilton have both admitted things aren't perfect at Ferrari

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 6 June 2026 10:58

Ferrari F1 star Charles Leclerc has opened up about his relationship with team-mate Lewis Hamilton, detailing how things have changed at the Scuderia in favour of the Brit over the past year.

Hamilton joined Leclerc at Ferrari at the start of the 2025 campaign but suffered a far less successful first year in red than many expected.

After 24 rounds, the now 41-year-old was unable to make a single grand prix podium appearance and was bested by Leclerc time and time again.

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Luckily for Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur, his F1 driver duo have not let the competitive nature of the sport drive a wedge between them, with Leclerc even suggesting he is now on the back foot compared to Hamilton after the ex-Mercedes star has finally settled in.

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Leclerc on 'evolving' Hamilton relationship and 'less positive' Ferrari aspects

In an interview with Monaco Life ahead of this weekend's race in the principality, home hero Leclerc was asked how he would explain the fact Hamilton appears to already be catching up to him just five races into the 2026 campaign.

Following the 2025 season finale, Leclerc outscored the seven-time champion by 86 points. But after the Brit enjoyed his best result in red in Canada on a weekend where Leclerc felt he was at his worst, the gap is closing between the pair.

"Lewis is incredibly talented and has achieved far more than I have in this sport," said Leclerc, keen to shower his legendary team-mate with compliments before unpacking their healthy rivalry.

"Last year was not easy for him and I think he was unlucky on many occasions," he continued.

"This year, with this car, he felt comfortable straight away — for me there has been a bit more work to do, particularly in China and Montreal. I never doubted it would be close, and that is a good thing because we push each other to unlock more performance on both sides.

"Our relationship has clearly evolved too. Lewis now knows the team much better — he knows exactly which people to ask for particular information.

"Those may seem like small details, but at a team the size of Ferrari, with around 1,500 people, they make a big difference. We have always gotten along extremely well, but now everything is a bit smoother, and that is only positive for both of us."

But not everything is positive at the Maranello-based F1 squad. When asked how he would assess the opening rounds of the 2026 season, Leclerc pointed to issues that still need ironing out at the team he has just committed even more of his career to.

"A little mixed," began the verdict.

"There are positive aspects and others that are less positive. I think we are in a very positive dynamic as a team, with a lot of innovations on the car, and that is always a positive sign for the races and for the future.

"On the other hand, Mercedes is still quite a long way ahead for the moment and has a significant advantage that we need to reduce as quickly as possible."

When is the Monaco Grand Prix?

Want to find out if Ferrari have what it takes to bring the fight to Mercedes in Monaco? Tune into coverage of the Monaco GP this weekend.

The Scuderia topped the timesheets in both of Friday's practice sessions and the the third and final hour of practice will commence on Saturday, June 6, followed by qualifying.

On Sunday, June 7, lights out for the Monaco GP will then take place at 3pm local time (CEST) which is 2pm BST, 9am EDT and 6am PDT.

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Charles Leclerc Monaco Grand Prix