Rob Smedley: Hamilton's Ferrari Resurgence Is 'Not Very Nice' for Leclerc
Former Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley says Lewis Hamilton is 'corralling the team around him' at Ferrari in 2026, creating a situation that is 'not very nice' for Charles Leclerc. After back-to-back P2 finishes in Canada and Monaco, Hamilton clinched his first win as a Ferrari driver in Madrid, moving 40 points clear of his teammate in the standings.
Smedley sounds the alarm ahead of the Austrian GP
As Formula 1 prepares for the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, the intra-team dynamic at Ferrari has become one of the defining storylines of the 2026 season. Former Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley, who spent nearly a decade with the Scuderia, has offered a candid assessment: Lewis Hamilton's growing momentum within the team is creating a difficult environment for Charles Leclerc. [1]
Speaking on the High Performance Racing podcast, Smedley described a "balance" shift taking place at Ferrari. [1] "I think the balance, at the minute, it's not very nice for Charles," Smedley said, adding that Hamilton is now "corralling the team around him." [2] He also noted that people inside Ferrari "all love him" and are "putting him on a pedestal." [2]
Hamilton's turnaround in numbers
The on-track evidence underpins Smedley's assessment. After a first season in Maranello in which Hamilton ended 86 points behind Leclerc in the standings, [6] the seven-time champion has reversed the dynamic in 2026. Back-to-back P2 finishes in Montreal and Monaco were followed by his first grand prix win as a Ferrari driver in Barcelona, which made him the first non-Mercedes winner of the season. [1] Leclerc, who suffered a late DNF in Spain, now sits 40 points behind his teammate in the drivers' standings. [1]
In the race head-to-head, Hamilton leads Leclerc 5-2 in Grands Prix this season. [4] Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle wrote in his column that Leclerc "needs a very strong performance in the upcoming Austria and Silverstone races to re-establish himself because Hamilton is looking like the clear team leader now." [5]
Smedley's longer view
Smedley stopped short of writing Leclerc off entirely. He expects the situation to even out, predicting the balance of performance between the two drivers "will be more balanced towards the end of the season." [1] Hamilton himself has also cautioned against over-interpreting the Barcelona result, warning that Ferrari still has work to do to challenge Mercedes consistently for victories. [3]
:::analysis The Red Bull Ring now represents a pivotal moment for Leclerc. Having previously won at the venue in 2022, a strong weekend in Austria would do much to reframe the narrative heading into the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. For Hamilton, the circuit offers the prospect of a third win at a track where he has already twice stood on the top step. With Ferrari bringing iterative upgrades through the early stages of the new regulations, whichever driver builds the stronger relationship with the SF-26 in its current specification may hold a significant advantage for the races that follow. :::
Related reading
- [1]Lewis Hamilton balance shift 'not very nice for Charles' as Ferrari insider speaks out (planetf1). Accessed 2026-06-21.
- [2]Lewis Hamilton handed Ferrari F1 intra-team prediction with 'pedestal' verdict (motorsportweek). Accessed 2026-06-21.
- [3]Lewis Hamilton issues Ferrari reality check amid Mercedes 'deficit' (planetf1). Accessed 2026-06-21.
- [4]Ferrari 'issues' predicted between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton (planetf1). Accessed 2026-06-21.
- [5]Lewis Hamilton 'team leader' position emerges as Charles Leclerc issued instruction (racingnews365). Accessed 2026-06-21.
- [6]'The first step of our story': Hamilton finally won with Ferrari, isn't done yet (espn). Accessed 2026-06-21.