Charles Leclerc Ferrari F1 Struggles Explained as Lewis Hamilton Piles Pressure on Teammate

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer believes Charles Leclerc is going through the toughest spell of his Formula 1 career, with Lewis Hamilton’s consistency only adding to the pressure.

Charles Leclerc is enduring the most difficult period of his Formula 1 career, according to former Renault driver and F1 analyst Jolyon Palmer, who believes Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton has compounded the pressure by consistently extracting more from the SF-26.

After beginning the season with two podium finishes, Leclerc has struggled to maintain that form, while Hamilton has emerged as Ferrari’s standout performer in 2026.

The seven-time world champion has already claimed Ferrari’s only victory of the season in Barcelona and currently holds a 46-point advantage over Leclerc in the drivers’ standings.

Palmer: ‘The toughest moment of his career’

Palmer believes Leclerc’s current struggles are unlike anything he has experienced since arriving in Formula 1.

“Charles is a generational talent. Ever since the junior formulae I’ve seen him do unbelievable things in a car, racing on pure feel and instinct, but his flamboyance has always come with occasional errors.

“Right now he seems to be in the toughest moment of his career.”

According to Palmer, Leclerc’s recent mistakes, particularly in qualifying, have stemmed from trying to extract too much from the car.

“His overdriving has come a little too often and this time on the other side of the garage is a man who knows how to put championship campaigns together, is maximising each result and piling more pressure on. It amplifies the struggles for Charles.”

Why Lewis Hamilton has adapted better

Palmer suggested the characteristics of Ferrari’s 2026 challenger have unexpectedly suited Hamilton’s driving style more than Leclerc’s.

The SF-26 is known for its sharp front end and an unstable rear, a combination that Palmer believes punishes Leclerc’s naturally aggressive approach.

“Leclerc has always driven on the limit, but this year the Ferrari car is snappy.

“Its great strength seems to be in having a front end working well with the rear end dancing behind it.”

While many expected those traits to favour Leclerc, Palmer believes the opposite has happened.

“Typically I’d have said that would favour Charles over Lewis, but it seems Charles’ natural aggressive style is provoking the car into snappiness a lot more than Lewis, whose calmer style seems better suited.”

Clean weekends key to recovery for Charles Leclerc

Despite Leclerc’s difficult run, Palmer remains confident the Monegasque can bounce back if he strings together consistent performances.

“I’ve no doubt that it won’t be long until we see the best of Charles once again, but at this moment it feels like he just needs to get his head down and strike some clean weekends on the board to rebuild his confidence and swagger.”

Ferrari eye better tracks ahead

Palmer expects Ferrari to face another difficult weekend at Silverstone following a challenging Austrian Grand Prix, with the circuit’s long straights unlikely to play to the SF-26’s strengths.

However, he believes the Hungarian Grand Prix could provide Leclerc with the ideal opportunity to rediscover his best form.

“Austria was difficult for Ferrari and Silverstone might not be much easier with long straights, but if he can build some form once more, a circuit like Budapest on the horizon could provide a much better opportunity for us to see Charles back at his best – after all, he took pole there last year, and this year’s Ferrari is a much better package.”

With Hamilton establishing himself as Ferrari’s leading title contender, Leclerc now faces the challenge of reversing his fortunes and reasserting himself within the Scuderia as the second half of the season approaches.