Johnny Herbert has named Charles Leclerc among four Formula 1 drivers who could feel increasing pressure after falling behind their team-mates during the first half of the 2026 season. The former British driver believes the Ferrari racer, George Russell, Oscar Piastri and Isack Hadjar may all have to manage the psychological consequences of being viewed as the current No. 2 within their respective teams.
The first half of the championship produced several unexpected verdicts in the head-to-head battles at Formula 1’s leading teams. Although the season remains open and the competitive order can still change, the results before the summer break have begun to establish clearer internal hierarchies at Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull.
Unexpected Formula 1 team-mate battles in the first half of 2026
Isack Hadjar has not seriously challenged Max Verstappen’s leadership within Red Bull, but the French driver has still acquitted himself impressively. Competing alongside a four-time world champion represents one of the toughest assignments in Formula 1, yet Isack Hadjar has avoided looking out of place during his first campaign with the senior team.
At Mercedes, the situation has been far more surprising. George Russell began the season as the leading favourite to win the drivers’ championship, but reached the summer break only third in the 2026 Formula 1 standings and a long way behind Kimi Antonelli.
The young Italian has comprehensively outperformed a team-mate who secured a highly lucrative contract extension after delivering several excellent seasons alongside Lewis Hamilton. George Russell’s experience and pre-season status made him the expected Mercedes leader, but Kimi Antonelli’s results have instead reshaped the internal picture.
Ferrari has produced another outcome that relatively few would have predicted. Lewis Hamilton completed the first half of the season ahead of Charles Leclerc, despite the Monegasque driver’s long experience within the Maranello team and familiarity with its working environment.
The situation has inevitably encouraged discussion about Ferrari’s future priorities, although the Scuderia has so far continued to treat its drivers equally. That approach was evident in Hungary, where the team chose not to manipulate the finishing order, as explored in the analysis of why Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc remained on equal terms.
Oscar Piastri loses ground to Lando Norris at McLaren
McLaren has experienced a similar shift. Oscar Piastri made a strong start at Suzuka, a circuit for which the Australian has a particular affection, but he struggled to match Lando Norris during the races immediately before the summer break.
Lando Norris strengthened his position by winning the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, adding further momentum to his side of the McLaren garage. The Briton’s recent form has increased the attention surrounding Oscar Piastri and raised questions about how the Australian will respond when the season resumes.
According to Johnny Herbert, the drivers currently chasing their team-mates at the leading teams will all have to handle additional pressure from the Dutch Grand Prix onwards. Formula 1 returns after the summer shutdown at Zandvoort, with the full 2026 Dutch Grand Prix schedule marking the beginning of an important second phase of the championship.
Johnny Herbert explains the pressure facing Charles Leclerc and his rivals
Speaking to Casinostugan, Johnny Herbert argued that the psychological situation affecting Oscar Piastri is not unique to McLaren. In his view, similar pressure exists whenever one driver begins to gain a sustained advantage over the other within the same team.
“What is happening to Oscar Piastri happens in every team,” Johnny Herbert explained. “I’m sure George Russell feels it. I’m sure Isack Hadjar probably feels it in some way too, and perhaps even Charles Leclerc. We all feel those pressures.”
The former Formula 1 driver believes the difficulty comes from the expectation that a driver should consistently defeat the person in the other car. Once that does not happen, doubts can begin to develop even when they are not consciously dominating the driver’s thoughts.
“As a driver, you feel it because you believe you should go out there and beat Lando every single time you are on track,” Johnny Herbert continued. “When you cannot do that, that is when insecurity begins to creep in. Everything becomes amplified. It is not at the front of your mind, but it is lurking somewhere deep in your brain.”
Positive attention around a team-mate can increase the pressure
Johnny Herbert also highlighted the effect of external discussion. Media coverage, paddock rumours and positive stories surrounding the better-performing team-mate can gradually become difficult to ignore, particularly after a race that appears to confirm an emerging hierarchy.
“There is no way to escape it,” Johnny Herbert added. “You hear the rumours, you hear the gossip, and then, after what happened in Hungary, you hear all the positive news surrounding Lando. All those little details slowly wear you down and make your job a little harder.”
The three-time Grand Prix winner nevertheless stressed that such pressure is an unavoidable part of competing at the highest level. “But it is part of Formula 1 and sport in general. Sport is not always kind to everyone.”
For Charles Leclerc, the debate comes at a delicate stage of Ferrari’s season. Lewis Hamilton holds the stronger championship position, but the Scuderia has not formally selected a number-one driver. Other former Formula 1 figures have also argued against an early hierarchy, including Giancarlo Fisichella, who explained why Ferrari should avoid premature team orders.
The same uncertainty exists elsewhere. George Russell, Oscar Piastri and Isack Hadjar still have time to change the balance inside their teams, while Charles Leclerc can reduce the gap to Lewis Hamilton during the remaining races. However, Johnny Herbert’s argument is that the first half of the season has already created a psychological challenge: once one driver becomes associated with the leading role, every result involving the other car is examined more closely.
Zandvoort will therefore represent more than the start of the second half of the championship. For the four drivers identified by Johnny Herbert, it will also provide the first opportunity to respond to an internal order that has begun to take shape—but is not yet irreversible.
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