With this third and final instalment, we conclude our exclusive interview with Davide Valsecchi. The former GP2 driver and current F1TV commentator spoke at length to us about the new sporting regulations, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, emerging Italian talents, and Ferrari’s current situation.
Speaking specifically about the Maranello team, we asked the Erba-born former driver what, in his view as an outside observer, Ferrari is still missing in order to return to championship-winning form.
After taking a moment to reflect, Davide Valsecchi replied: “It’s always incredibly difficult to judge Ferrari because, fundamentally, I care about the team and that naturally makes me extremely optimistic. But at the same time, it’s hard to ignore the trajectory of recent years, which tells me they never improve enough. So if you ask me whether they will win the championship, I would bet against it, because in recent seasons it has always been Ferrari’s rivals who have made the bigger step forward, not Ferrari. The statistics are against them.”
“Honestly, I can’t say for certain. I have the feeling they will win some races because with the way they launch off the line like rockets, and considering they are not bad in qualifying—Charles Leclerc is often on the second row—if they manage to get into the lead at tracks like Monaco or Singapore, I think they can win.”
“So yes, if the question is whether they will win races, I would say yes. But will they fight for something bigger? Looking at the numbers, we’ve never seen Ferrari produce a second half of the season like McLaren did. It’s been many, many years since we’ve seen that kind of performance leap. I remember even during Sebastian Vettel’s time the trend was to fade as the season progressed, and we’re talking about eight or nine years ago already. Statistically, if you ask me whether Ferrari will win the championship, my answer is no.”
Charles Leclerc deserves a real title chance
Continuing his analysis, Davide Valsecchi added: “I obviously hope Charles Leclerc is in the fight because he had Sebastian Vettel as a teammate and beat him. He had Carlos Sainz and they were closely matched, although over several seasons the Monegasque still came out ahead. He’s now had Lewis Hamilton—okay, maybe Lewis arrived slightly at the end of his career—but he’s still beating him, despite the fact that when Lewis Hamilton joined Ferrari, it almost felt like the messiah had arrived.”
“I honestly think Charles Leclerc deserves a world championship more than many others. It’s just a shame he still hasn’t had a truly competitive opportunity.”
The opening rounds of the 2026 Formula 1 season gave Ferrari fans some optimism, especially thanks to far stronger race starts, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton often making gains when the lights went out. But that early promise has frequently faded after only a few laps, with Ferrari struggling to maintain pace against Mercedes and, more recently, McLaren.
Mercedes in particular, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli, has demonstrated formidable race pace, often recovering even after imperfect starts and gradually building an untouchable advantage. For Ferrari supporters, much of the excitement has instead come from the internal battles between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, with wheel-to-wheel exchanges that have provided some of the most thrilling moments of the season.
Davide Valsecchi’s view on Lewis Hamilton vs Charles Leclerc
On that topic, however, Davide Valsecchi was very clear: “I’m convinced we won’t see much more of that battle between the two. To me, it already feels like Lewis Hamilton’s aggressive, combative phase—the version of him that enjoyed these regulations—has already faded.”
“When Ferrari signed him, my first thought was that they had brought him in a little too late, always with the utmost respect for someone who has made history in this sport. During the years when we were backing Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton was winning four world championships, and every time they went wheel-to-wheel you realised that, despite Sebastian Vettel’s incredible talent, Lewis Hamilton’s natural ability was simply on another level. Sebastian always seemed to lose those direct battles, and that’s one of the reasons Lewis won titles right in front of Ferrari. So maximum respect for him.”
“But when Ferrari signed him, I thought: this could be a problem. In the previous two or three seasons he had struggled against George Russell.”
“The most recent world champions have generally won titles around the age of 35, while Lewis Hamilton arrived at Ferrari at 40. I thought Ferrari had signed him too late. Last year Charles Leclerc clearly outperformed him. When the regulations changed, I actually thought younger drivers would benefit because they’re more used to adapting from one category to another, unlike someone who has spent twenty years in Formula 1.”
“And yet he surprised me because in winter testing and in the first two races he actually looked faster than Charles Leclerc. But looking at the last couple of weekends, it already feels like he’s fighting Charles less. My personal feeling is that there won’t be much of a battle because Charles Leclerc will keep beating him, just like last year. But that’s only my impression—we’ll need to see how it plays out on track.”
After that analysis, we asked him directly whether he sees Charles Leclerc as Ferrari’s benchmark driver.
Without hesitation, he replied: “Yes, absolutely. I have no doubts. I think they’ll only really fight each other on a few occasions. Maybe when it rains.”
From racing driver to commentator
To wrap up our long conversation with Davide Valsecchi, we also touched on a subject he knows personally: the transition from racing driver to commentator, first with Sky Italia and now with F1TV. We also asked whether he sees himself returning to competitive racing in the future.
“Last year I did a few little races here and there,” he said. “How do I feel about this transition? Good. I’m passionate about motorsport and I absolutely love racing. To be honest, I enjoy all forms of racing—even motocross.”
“It was a natural transition because, in my view, everyone in my position who ends up commentating on races has, in a sense, missed the final step. Because if you were truly exceptional—one of the absolute best—you’d be among the twenty drivers racing in Formula 1. Once you miss that step, you’re effectively out, and that’s perfectly fine.”
“Commentating suits me because I genuinely love racing. I love watching it, analysing it, discussing it, and above all supporting it—because in general, I cheer for all the drivers.”
Davide Valsecchi’s blunt evaluation highlights the heavy historical baggage and internal performance pressures currently defining Ferrari’s 2026 campaign. While early-season flashes of starting-line brilliance initially thrilled the Tifosi, the harsh reality of Maranello’s development stagnation stands in stark contrast to the rapid engineering steps taken by Mercedes and McLaren. The intra-team dynamic between Charles Leclerc and a forty-year-old Lewis Hamilton further complicates this picture, reinforcing Valsecchi’s view that Leclerc remains the definitive pillar of Ferrari’s future. Unless the engineering department can defy its historical trends and deliver a sustained, McLaren-style aerodynamic upgrade program later this season, the Scuderia risks watching another title slip away while their drivers are left fighting each other for minor podium steps.
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