Charles Leclerc has emerged as the leading non-Mercedes driver for laps led during the 2026 Formula 1 season, spending 122 laps at the front of Grands Prix so far. The Ferrari driver has led almost three times as many laps as teammate Lewis Hamilton, yet that impressive statistic has not translated into the same position in the Drivers’ Championship.
With six Grands Prix remaining, Charles Leclerc sits third overall for laps led, behind only Mercedes drivers Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell. The contrast is striking: although the Monegasque has repeatedly put Ferrari at the front during races, he is currently only fifth in the championship standings.
Mercedes dominate the 2026 F1 laps-led ranking
The weekend break between the Singapore round and the United States Grand Prix in Austin gives Formula 1 drivers and teams a chance to catch their breath — with the usual hyperactive Max Verstappen perhaps an exception — and also offers an opportunity to examine some of the more interesting statistics to emerge from the season.
One particularly revealing figure is the number of Grand Prix laps completed in the lead. Some aspects of the ranking reflect the championship picture, while others tell a noticeably different story.
It is no surprise to find the two Mercedes drivers at the top. Andrea Kimi Antonelli has led 365 laps, excluding Sprint races, while George Russell has spent 237 laps in first place. Those figures underline the superiority Mercedes displayed particularly during the opening quarter of the season, when its rivals were still significantly behind the W17 in terms of performance.
- 1. Andrea Kimi Antonelli – 365 laps led
- 2. George Russell – 237
- 3. Charles Leclerc – 122
- 4. Max Verstappen – 116
- 5. Lando Norris – 98
- 6. Oscar Piastri – 42
- 7. Lewis Hamilton – 42
- 8. Pierre Gasly – 1
Charles Leclerc leads the non-Mercedes drivers for laps led
The biggest surprise is the driver occupying third place and effectively sitting at the top of the “best of the rest” group. There was a period when Lewis Hamilton appeared to be the only realistic championship challenger to the two Mercedes drivers, while Lando Norris managed to win two consecutive Grands Prix during the summer and Max Verstappen achieved the same feat across Sepang and Marina Bay. Despite all of that, Charles Leclerc remains the non-Mercedes driver who has led the most laps so far in 2026.
Charles Leclerc has spent 122 laps at the front, six more than Max Verstappen. Even more strikingly, the Ferrari driver has led almost three times as many laps as Lewis Hamilton, whose total stands at 42. The wider season-long comparison between the two Ferrari teammates can also be explored through the Charles Leclerc vs Lewis Hamilton F1 head-to-head statistics.
Charles Leclerc has also led six different Grands Prix, compared with four for Lewis Hamilton, and in five of those six races he remained at the front for at least 10 laps. By comparison, Lewis Hamilton reached double figures for laps led only in Barcelona, where he won, while Max Verstappen led more than 10 laps only in his two victories at Sepang and Marina Bay.
Ferrari second only to Mercedes for laps led
The constructors’ figures reinforce Ferrari’s position near the front of this particular statistic. Mercedes has accumulated 602 laps in the lead, while Ferrari sits second with 164, ahead of McLaren on 140 and Red Bull on 116.
- 1. Mercedes – 602 laps led
- 2. Ferrari – 164
- 3. McLaren – 140
- 4. Red Bull – 116
- 5. Alpine – 1
Beyond the 42 laps Charles Leclerc led at the British Grand Prix, which he won, the Ferrari driver was also at the front for 23 laps in Australia, 11 in Miami, 13 in Belgium and 32 in Madrid. The numbers show how consistently Charles Leclerc has managed to put himself near the front of races among the drivers outside Mercedes.
However, a combination of bad luck and mistakes has prevented Charles Leclerc from finding the consistency required to convert those periods at the front into enough championship points. Despite sitting third in the season’s laps-led ranking, the Ferrari number 16 is currently only fifth in the 2026 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship standings, behind both Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen and only narrowly ahead of Lando Norris.
The contrast makes Charles Leclerc’s 2026 campaign particularly unusual. His 122 laps in first place show how often Ferrari has put him in a position to influence races at the front, even though the championship table has not rewarded those opportunities to the same extent. Fans can follow further news, results and developments involving the Monegasque through the dedicated Charles Leclerc Ferrari coverage.
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