Charles Leclerc has played down any suggestion of growing tension with Lewis Hamilton, insisting that he enjoys racing his Ferrari teammate as the Scuderia arrives at the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix facing another important test with the SF-26.
After the Turn 2 incident at Monza reignited debate over how Ferrari should manage its two drivers, Charles Leclerc made clear that he does not see their rivalry as a problem. Both drivers want to win, he stressed, but their shared priority remains putting Ferrari at the front. Before that battle can fully develop again in Baku, however, Ferrari must address the qualifying and optimisation difficulties that have prevented the car from consistently showing its full potential in recent races.
Charles Leclerc says Ferrari’s Baku problem is optimisation, not the circuit
Charles Leclerc arrives in Baku without trying to hide Ferrari’s current difficulties. The Monegasque knows that the SF-26, particularly in qualifying, is not going through its easiest period of the season, but he does not believe the Azerbaijan street circuit itself is the problem. Instead, the challenge is to optimise every element of the package and avoid the small execution errors that have prevented Ferrari from extracting everything available from the car over recent weekends.
“I don’t know, but definitely this year qualifying is where we are struggling the most,” Charles Leclerc explained when discussing his chances in Baku, a circuit where he has built an excellent qualifying record without yet managing to win the Grand Prix. “I like driving here.” Ferrari’s difficulties over one lap have become an increasingly important theme, with the SF-26’s qualifying weakness proving particularly significant when the margins at the front are small.
Charles Leclerc does not identify one particular circuit characteristic as the root of Ferrari’s problems. “Our difficulties are not linked to a specific track, but mainly to optimisation. We’ve had a few difficulties here and there over the last few weekends, and it’s up to us to do a better job.” The full 2026 Azerbaijan GP schedule now gives Ferrari its next opportunity to show whether it can execute a cleaner weekend.
Charles Leclerc: “I like fighting with Lewis Hamilton”
The relationship with Lewis Hamilton was one of the most significant subjects addressed by Charles Leclerc ahead of Baku. Following the Turn 2 episode at Monza that compromised Ferrari’s opening lap, the Monegasque refused to fuel any further controversy. Instead, he placed the incident within the normal dynamic of two highly competitive teammates pursuing the same objectives.
“There have been moments when I went too far, just as there have been moments when Lewis went too far, but the fundamental thing is to talk about it,” Charles Leclerc admitted.
It is a position shaped partly by his long experience inside Ferrari. Charles Leclerc has raced for the Scuderia since 2019 and understands the level of attention that surrounds almost every incident between its drivers. “I’ve been at Ferrari since 2019 and I know how much things are overanalysed and over-discussed.”
The central point, according to Charles Leclerc, is that he and Lewis Hamilton ultimately want the same thing. “Both of us want to win, we want to win as a team and see Ferrari come out on top.”
There is therefore no desire from Charles Leclerc to portray their internal rivalry as a conflict. On the contrary, he sees competing against a driver of Lewis Hamilton’s calibre as one of the attractions of sharing the Ferrari garage. “I like fighting with Lewis, because that’s what Formula 1 is about: fighting the best, and Lewis is definitely one of them.”
The season-long battle between Ferrari’s two drivers can also be followed through the Charles Leclerc vs Lewis Hamilton F1 head-to-head statistics, covering their qualifying and race performances. The debate over their freedom to compete has also extended beyond Ferrari, with former drivers weighing in on whether Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc should be allowed to race freely.
Charles Leclerc’s comments are particularly significant after Monza and the debate that followed. He is not pretending the incident did not happen, nor suggesting that everything was handled perfectly. Instead, his position is that a hard battle between two teammates does not automatically have to develop into a damaging split. When one of them crosses the limit, the solution is to recognise it, discuss it internally and move forward.
On one point, however, Charles Leclerc was unequivocal about what happened through the opening chicane at Monza: “Turn 2 at Monza is something we never want to see again.”
Kimi Antonelli impresses Charles Leclerc: “He has been almost perfect”
During the Baku media day, Charles Leclerc also discussed Kimi Antonelli, whose remarkable season has kept the Mercedes driver firmly at the top of the championship standings. The young Italian has continued to attract praise after his Madrid victory, with his composure and title campaign also drawing attention beyond Mercedes.
Charles Leclerc’s assessment is particularly notable because of the level at which he rates George Russell, Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate. “This year he has been extremely impressive, almost perfect from the beginning, and especially against a driver I rate very highly like George.”
Charles Leclerc also highlighted the way Kimi Antonelli operates close to the limit of the car without allowing that aggression to prevent him from completing the decisive lap. “His laps seem to be very much on the limit, but somehow he manages to complete the lap when it matters, and that has been really impressive to watch.”
It is one of the most striking qualities Kimi Antonelli has demonstrated during the season: the ability to push the car extremely close to its limit while still delivering when the decisive moment arrives.
Baku demands risk, commitment and precision
Turning back to the Azerbaijan street circuit, Charles Leclerc jokingly identified the part of the track he considers particularly dangerous. “For me, the trap has to be Turn 15,” the Ferrari driver said. “This year I’ll try to avoid it!”
Mistakes at Baku can carry far greater consequences than at a conventional permanent circuit. Charles Leclerc knows that performance around this kind of track does not depend only on the outright speed of the car. Drivers must progressively build confidence, judge how far they are prepared to push and understand where the limit lies before the barriers punish an error.
“At Baku, the key is commitment and precision, as well as deciding how much risk you can take,” Charles Leclerc explained.
That may also be the best summary of the challenge awaiting Ferrari. Charles Leclerc is not hiding the team’s qualifying difficulties, but neither does he consider Baku an inherently unfavourable circuit. The opportunity will depend on optimising the SF-26 and avoiding the mistakes that can compromise an entire weekend, particularly as Ferrari enters the event with a difficult Baku outlook after its recent run of results.
The same principle now applies to the internal contest between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. They can continue pushing one another because both want to win. For Charles Leclerc, the condition is straightforward: when the limit is crossed, they need to talk about it and move on. The rivalry can remain intense, but the ultimate objective is unchanged — putting Ferrari ahead of everyone else.
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