Charles Leclerc has been questioned for the inconsistency of his performance in the 2026 Formula 1 season, but he received help to deal with the moment. Otmar Szafnauer, former Alpine boss, asked Ferrari to avoid pressuring the Monegasque and simply support him.
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The situation gained prominence because Lewis Hamilton opened a gap over his teammate in the championship standings. The Briton is in second place, while Leclerc is fourth, 31 points behind, with George Russell between them, although both have only won one race this season.
During an appearance on the High Performance Racing podcast, Szafnauer was straightforward about how Ferrari should handle the situation: “No, leave him alone. I wouldn’t have a conversation, but I would be supportive,” said the former team boss.
In Szafnauer’s assessment, the gap between the drivers may also be narrowing: “Lewis, at the start of the year, and I’m not speaking based on facts, just the feeling I have, was a bit ahead of Leclerc than he is now. I think Charles has improved a bit in the last two races compared to Lewis,” he said.
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The numbers show that the battle remains balanced in some aspects. Hamilton has one win and four other podiums, while Leclerc also won once and secured three more podiums, but the Monegasque retired from two races, against none for his teammate. Aside from these retirements, his results include only two eighth places, in Miami and Austria, as well as placements among the top four in the other races.
Rob Smedley, former Ferrari race engineer, offered a different assessment of Leclerc’s moment: “I think this is the first time in a long time with Charles, where his teammate has had a significant advantage,” he commented. According to Smedley, the Monegasque driver seemed ‘a bit lost’ after changes made to the braking system and other car components.
Leclerc, who previously outperformed his teammates at Ferrari and finished ahead of Marcus Ericsson even in his debut season at Sauber, now faces a different challenge alongside Hamilton. The battle between the two is expected to remain intense in the second half of the season.
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