F1 legend Lewis Hamilton's mental games causing Charles Leclerc to 'lose his head'

Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton mental games causing Charles Leclerc to 'lose his head'

Are mental games going on at Ferrari?

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Monday 15 June 2026 21:54 Updated: 22:47

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Lewis Hamilton's former team-mate Nico Rosberg believes that 'mental games' are causing Charles Leclerc's struggles against the seven-time champion.

After Hamilton's dismal first season at Ferrari where he finished 86 points behind Leclerc in the drivers' championship, the Brit has turned the tables in 2026, claiming his first three grand prix podiums in red in the first six races of the season.

Now 4,, Hamilton looks back to his best, consistently defeating his much younger team-mate in both qualifying and races, and he now leads Leclerc in the drivers' championship.

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Leclerc, meanwhile, seems to be suffering under the pressure of Hamilton's form. The Monegasque driver crashed in qualifying in both Monaco and Barcelona, while he also crashed out of the race in Monaco, scoring zero points for the team.

Now Rosberg, who knows what it's like to be behind Hamilton and buckling under the pressure of that, has revealed that Hamilton's form will be causing Leclerc to overthink certain things within his car.

Rosberg opens up on Leclerc struggles

Leclerc changed his brakes after the Monaco GP, refusing to take responsibility for his crash there and instead opting to use Hamilton's setup from now onwards.

But despite that, Leclerc crashed in qualifying for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, and could only qualify down in 10th, while Hamilton was up on the front row of the grid.

"You can see the reverse with Leclerc," Rosberg told Sky Sports F1. "Suddenly Lewis is flying, Leclerc’s having one problem after another. His head is not there at the moment.

"He’s starting to feel the pressure, he’s starting to copy Lewis into Turn 4 yesterday in qualifying, brake as deep as Lewis, off in the wall he went. The mental game is so important in this sport."

Hamilton's aim now will be to try and claim his first grand prix victory as a Ferrari driver, and attempt to get himself closer to championship leader Kimi Antonelli in the race for the 2026 drivers' championship.

F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Charles Leclerc