Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton – will there be a turning point in Austria?

The results for the two Ferrari stars couldn’t be more different over the last three Grands Prix: Lewis Hamilton finished second in both Canada and Monaco, before securing his first GP victory in red at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, was overshadowed by Hamilton in Canada and finished a lacklustre fourth, followed by two retirements – a crash into the barriers at his home race in Monaco due to brake problems, and a hydraulic failure in Catalonia, which caused the power steering to fail.

In the Drivers’ Championship, Hamilton is now the closest challenger to leader Kimi Antonelli; the 19-year-old Italian has 156 points, whilst Hamilton has 115. Leclerc is fourth in the championship, already 40 points behind superstar Hamilton.

Long-serving Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley, who still has excellent connections in Maranello, knows: “The way Hamilton flew past him in Canada really got under Leclerc’s skin.”

And Smedley senses that Hamilton is drawing the Ferrari team into his orbit: “I’m in lots of chat groups with all my old colleagues, and they’re absolutely buzzing about Lewis – they just love him.”

Topic of the week

From major doubts to a major spectacle: why GP fans have reason to be delighted

Before the start of the season, critical voices dominated, but the World Championship rounds so far have shown that the rule changes are delivering exactly what was hoped for: excitement right up to the final lap.

Read more

TV program

Today

Budapest: Das Rennen Re-Live

FIA Formula One World Championship

26.07.2026 - 17:15

“I can see that Lewis is now rallying the team around him. Everything I see when I read the Italian newspapers or speak to my mates at Ferrari – they love him, they’re putting him on a pedestal. He’s getting better and better.”

To avoid falling even further behind both internally and in the World Championship standings, Leclerc must come up with a response – pronto! – this coming weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix. A glance at the statistics shows: if not at the Red Bull Ring, then where?

After all, Leclerc has repeatedly demonstrated his class in Styria: second in 2019 and 2020, winner in 2022 (Ferrari’s first victory in Austria since 2003!), second in 2023, third in 2025.

Charles, now 28, once said: “I’m never satisfied with myself, not even when I win.” But Leclerc hasn’t won for quite some time now. Would you have known when he last won a Grand Prix? That’s right, in Texas in 2024. Thirty-six World Championship races have passed since then.

Charles Leclerc once said: “When things aren’t going well, I can rely on my mental strength.”

Now would be the right time to do so.