Ferrari Told to 'Leave Charles Leclerc Alone' Amid F1 Inconsistency

Former Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer had frank advice for Ferrari regarding Charles Leclerc, urging the Formula 1 team to "leave him alone" amid scrutiny over the Monegasque's inconsistent form compared to teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Both drivers have managed just one victory each so far this season, but Hamilton's momentum has arguably been stronger. Leclerc sits fourth in the Drivers' Championship, 31 points behind his teammate in second, with George Russell splitting them.

Szafnauer, speaking on the High Performance Racing podcast, advised the Scuderia to avoid over-discussing the matter with Leclerc. "No, leave him alone. I would not have a conversation, but be supportive," he said.

Baca JugaLewis Hamilton Nilai Sendiri Performa Paruh Pertama F1 2026

"Lewis [Hamilton] at the beginning of the year, and I'm not speaking from facts, just the feeling I get, was a little bit more ahead of Leclerc than he is now," Szafnauer explained. "I think Charles [Leclerc] has stepped it up in the last two a little bit towards Lewis."

Indeed, Leclerc appears to have raised his game in recent races. Since his victory at Silverstone, his performance level has improved. If Ferrari can sort out the remaining issues with the SF26, both drivers look set to end the season strongly.

Leclerc 'Slightly Lost'

Despite Hamilton looking solid and leading on points, the two are nearly equal when it comes to podium finishes this season. The seven-time champion has one win and four additional podiums in the first half of the F1 season. Leclerc, meanwhile, has one win but only three additional podiums.

The key difference is that Hamilton hasn't retired from a race in 2026, while Leclerc has suffered two. Apart from those, Leclerc has been solid, with P8 finishes in Miami and Austria as his worst results; otherwise, he's been P4 or better. Hamilton's lowest finishes were two P6s in Japan and Miami.

Former Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley also weighed in. "I think this is the first time in a long time with Charles where his team-mate has had a significant upper hand," he said.

"Charles wasn't happy with the car. I know that they changed components around the braking system, types of material and stuff like that, but it felt like he was just slightly lost for a driver of his experience and how good he is," Smedley added. Previously, Leclerc has outperformed teammates like Carlos Sainz and Sebastian Vettel, and even in his rookie year at Sauber, he finished higher than Marcus Ericsson.

Now, the highly experienced Hamilton poses a real challenge. The two will no doubt continue their head-to-head battle in the second half of the season. Will Ferrari heed Szafnauer's advice and let Leclerc work without added pressure?