Lewis Hamilton says preferential treatment over team-mate Charles Leclerc is not what he’s been asking Ferrari for, despite his position as a potential Formula 1 title contender in 2026.
Leclerc’s retirement from the Italian Grand Prix means he’s now 112 points adrift of championship leader Kimi Antonelli, with a maximum of 258 points to score over the last 10 rounds – assuming the final races aren’t impacted by the Iran war.
Hamilton’s deficit, meanwhile, is ‘just’ 76 points, so the seven-time world champion does have more realistic odds – however slim – to be a dark horse for the title.
However, when asked if it was time for the Scuderia to put all its efforts behind him and for Leclerc to support him, Hamilton retorted: “That's not actually really what I've been asking for.
“It's really just making sure we're executing to make sure we get the best result for the team. Instead of us working against each other and finishing fourth and fifth, maybe we can work together and get a podium, pull off more points.”
Consistency has kept Hamilton in the title race so far, as he is the only driver to have finished every grand prix in the top 10; the top six has actually never eluded him. But he’s painfully aware of the Silver Arrows’ dominance in terms of pure speed, with Ferrari yet to take a single pole position in 2026; the discrepancy largely stems from the power unit.
“Mercedes, if you look at the last race, they were six tenths a lap quicker on the straights,” Hamilton pointed out. “Pretty much most of the other tracks, it was three or four tenths. We were losing just on the straights.
“I think we've done a really great job, given that we've had that deficit, and we continue to make improvements to the car. We've made improvements to the engine. We knew that the last [engine] upgrade wasn't going to be a silver bullet and close that gap completely. But for me, it's really positive to see us continuously stepping forward. They are just very, very quick, and it's not easy.
“As I said, rather than focus on them – they're not a focus for me at the moment – I think our focus should just be, how we can do the best and execute the best on our weekends, because there'll be weekends where they're exceptional, and there'll be weekends where they maybe drop the ball.
“As long as we just focus on our consistency and trying to optimise our weekends, maybe there's going to be a moment where we are able to capitalise on, perhaps, their shortcomings.”
