Charles Leclerc says he considers himself a leader at Ferrari, but believes Lewis Hamilton holds the same status, with both drivers aligned on the direction they want the team to take. Speaking ahead of the 2026 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, the Monegasque explained that despite their different driving styles, he and the seven-time Formula 1 world champion ask for similar things from the car and share a broader vision for Ferrari.
Charles Leclerc heads to Monza after a weekend at Zandvoort that produced moments of tension involving Lewis Hamilton and the team during the race. Ferrari’s handling of its two drivers subsequently became one of the major talking points from the Dutch Grand Prix, with Fred Vasseur calling for a review of Ferrari’s Zandvoort execution. Against that backdrop, Charles Leclerc has now explained how he sees his position within a team that also includes one of the most successful drivers in Formula 1 history.
Charles Leclerc explains why he committed his future to Ferrari
During a lengthy interview with FormulaPassion.it, Charles Leclerc first discussed the main reasons behind his decision to make such a long-term commitment to Ferrari. While his emotional connection with the Scuderia remains important, he stressed that his decision was also based on his belief in the team’s project and its ability to give him the opportunity to become Formula 1 world champion.
“Fred Vasseur and I have a close relationship and he shares a lot about the vision he has for the team, the choices we made for this year’s car and what will happen,” Charles Leclerc explained. “It wasn’t simply for the sake of staying here. There were conversations and, in the end, the project that excited me the most was always Ferrari’s.”
“Winning here is my dream, but the decision was not based only on love, but also on the project. I wanted to make the most of the opportunities that were there to make the right decision, the one that gave me the highest probability of becoming world champion, and I firmly believe Ferrari is the team to do it.”
Those words underline why Charles Leclerc continues to place such significant faith in Ferrari’s long-term direction. His commitment is not presented simply as loyalty to the team with which he has spent most of his Formula 1 career, but as a sporting decision based on where he believes his best opportunity to win a world title lies.
Charles Leclerc says he and Lewis Hamilton are both Ferrari leaders
The arrival of Lewis Hamilton inevitably changed the internal dynamic at Maranello. Charles Leclerc had already been an established Ferrari figure for several seasons when the seven-time world champion joined the team, raising the question of whether the Monegasque still considers himself one of the Scuderia’s principal leaders.
Charles Leclerc’s answer was unequivocal.
“If I feel like a leader? Obviously. I’ve been part of this team for a long time, but I have Lewis Hamilton as my team-mate and he is a seven-time world champion,” Charles Leclerc said. “I think we are both leaders and we are very aligned on the direction we want to take as a team.”
“It is clear that today both drivers lead the team with a clear vision of where we want to go. We have different driving styles, but what we ask from the car is similar and that is very important.”
With two drivers who possess both speed and considerable influence, Ferrari does not have to rely on a single figure to lead its direction. Having two major voices can provide an advantage in certain situations while creating additional complexity in others. From a development perspective, however, Charles Leclerc believes the important point is that he and Lewis Hamilton are working towards the same objectives.
That alignment has become particularly relevant following the discussion around Ferrari’s management of its drivers at Zandvoort, where the situation renewed the wider debate over how Ferrari should manage Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc when their interests converge during a Grand Prix.
Leclerc explains the shared Ferrari vision with Hamilton
For Charles Leclerc, however, Ferrari’s “vision” extends far beyond determining whether the car should have more front-end response, greater rear stability or any other specific handling characteristic. He explained that drivers can also influence working methods, internal processes and the overall efficiency of a Formula 1 organisation.
“It’s not only about the characteristics of the car. In Formula 1 there are many other things, such as processes and the way we work,” Charles Leclerc said. “There are many people who effectively work on one car, because the two cars are the same. It’s about thinking about the project and how we can be more efficient as a team.”
“If you put an employee in better conditions and extract 1% more from what they do, when you scale that across the thousands of people who work at Ferrari it can represent a big change. Giving feedback on the characteristics of the car is at the heart of what we do, but there are many other things we can influence.”
Charles Leclerc also highlighted the value of the experience brought to Maranello by drivers who previously worked within other Formula 1 organisations. That knowledge can expose Ferrari to alternative methods and processes, even when the ultimate priorities remain unchanged.
“It is also interesting that Sebastian Vettel, Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton brought experiences from their previous teams. We all have the same priorities, but with processes that can also be very different.”
This broader approach means driver feedback is not restricted to the development of individual components or the handling balance of the car. It can also contribute to how Ferrari organises and improves its overall Formula 1 operation, alongside the more conventional work covered by the team’s technical development.
How Lewis Hamilton’s arrival changed requests inside Ferrari
Charles Leclerc was also asked whether Lewis Hamilton’s arrival had changed the type of demands being made of Ferrari. According to the Monegasque, changes were inevitable, but they were no different in principle from the process Ferrari experienced when other drivers joined the team.
“I think every driver has unique requests,” Charles Leclerc explained. “When Carlos Sainz joined the team, he needed different things. When I arrived at Ferrari, I had particular needs and the same applies to Lewis Hamilton.”
“Obviously something changed, but not in an unusual way compared with the past. Every time you arrive at a new team, there is always an adaptation period as you try to understand how the team works and how you want to improve it, based on your previous experiences and what you would like to implement within the team. That process was similar, but the requests were different.”
Charles Leclerc’s message ahead of Monza is therefore clear: Lewis Hamilton’s presence has not diminished his own leadership role within Ferrari. Instead, the Monegasque sees the two drivers as sharing that responsibility, with their differing backgrounds and driving styles balanced by a common understanding of where they want the Scuderia to go.
Leave a Reply