{"id":753793,"date":"2026-06-22T22:46:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T22:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/753793\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T22:46:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T22:46:15","slug":"charles-leclerc-confirms-the-theory-that-explains-why-lewis-hamilton-has-an-advantage-over-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/753793\/","title":{"rendered":"Charles Leclerc confirms the theory that explains why Lewis Hamilton has an advantage over him"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"\/ Follow us on Google Discover <\/a> <\/p>\n

Charles Leclerc has admitted that Lewis Hamilton has an edge over him this season, and it\u2019s not entirely down to Ferrari\u2019s work on the car.<\/p>\n

Coming into the season, there were reports that Ferrari built the SF-26 to suit Leclerc<\/a> over Lewis Hamilton<\/a>, given that he was the more tenured driver within the team.<\/p>\n

However, thanks to his performances this season, Hamilton has broken a vicious cycle at Ferrari<\/a> by outperforming Charles Leclerc<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Which Ferrari driver has the edge on pure SPEED? <\/p>\n

\"FerrariPhoto by Gongora\/NurPhoto via Getty Images <\/p>\n

Leclerc has tried to counter Hamilton\u2019s edge<\/a> this season, but his recent results have not been enough for him to turn things around.<\/p>\n

But in a recent interview, Leclerc confirmed that Hamilton has an advantage over him this season, but it\u2019s not because of Ferrari\u2019s<\/a> work on the SF-26.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Average speed data shows Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari are in trouble at Austrian Grand Prix<\/a><\/p>\n

\"FerrariPhoto by Bryn Lennon \u2013 Formula 1\/Formula 1 via Getty ImagesCharles Leclerc admits 2026 F1 cars feel more \u2018natural\u2019 for Lewis Hamilton<\/p>\n

The Athletic<\/a> did a deep dive into what is behind Lewis Hamilton\u2019s recent resurgence with Ferrari this season, as he looks to mount his first title challenge in five years.<\/p>\n

As part of this extensive article, they spoke to Charles Leclerc about his performances, who said that the new cars suit Hamilton much better compared to the cars under the previous regulations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese cars are a bit more natural to him compared to the previous ones, which were a little bit strange to drive. These small differences make a big difference.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t the first time it has been suggested that Hamilton is suited to the 2026 generation of cars<\/a>. However, to hear confirmation from Leclerc shows just how pivotal the regulation change has been for Hamilton.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Ferrari staff weren\u2019t happy when Fred Vasseur ordered \u2018radical\u2019 car changes for Lewis Hamilton<\/a><\/p>\n

Give us your podium prediction for the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend \ud83d\udc47 <\/p>\n

\"LandoPhoto by Andrea Diodato\/NurPhoto via Getty Images Valtteri Bottas says Lewis Hamilton finding happiness has helped him rediscover form<\/p>\n

Valtteri Bottas, Hamilton\u2019s former Mercedes teammate also spoke about the driver\u2019s turnaround, suggesting that the seven-time world champion\u2019s personal life has played a part in his improvement.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are happier the better the racing goes on-track, and he seems in a good place. It\u2019s good to see. He\u2019s shown that he hasn\u2019t lost any of his ability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite many doubts about Hamilton\u2019s level heading into 2026<\/a>, the legendary Briton has reminded everyone of why he is considered one of the greatest of all time.<\/p>\n

Now, all he will be hoping for is to try and continue his great form this season, and possibly compete for an eighth world championship.<\/p>\n

Join Our Newsletter<\/p>\n

Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Follow us on Google Discover Charles Leclerc has admitted that Lewis Hamilton has an edge over him this…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":753794,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[64,63,13275,817,826,813,816,823,85],"class_list":["post-753793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-charles-leclerc","tag-f1","tag-ferrari","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-lewis-hamilton","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/753793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=753793"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/753793\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/753794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=753793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=753793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=753793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}