Jolyon Palmer identifies three-tenths gain behind Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari revival. Jolyon Palmer highlights Lewis Hamilton’s three-tenths gain on Charles Leclerc.

Jolyon Palmer’s analysis of Ferrari’s performance data has highlighted the scale of Lewis Hamilton’s 2026 resurgence, with the seven-time world champion gaining approximately three-tenths of a second relative to Charles Leclerc compared with the second half of last season. At the halfway point of the campaign, Hamilton is 31 points ahead of his team-mate and their qualifying and race head-to-head records are now virtually level.

It represents a dramatic reversal from Hamilton’s first Ferrari season. The British driver finished 86 points behind Charles Leclerc in 2025, the largest intra-team deficit of his Formula 1 career. He was beaten 19-5 in qualifying and lost the race comparison 18-3 across the events in which both Ferrari drivers reached the chequered flag.

Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari turnaround stands out in Palmer’s data

Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, former Formula 1 driver Jolyon Palmer compared each driver’s performance against their team-mate. He concluded that most of the grid had retained a broadly similar internal competitive level despite the extensive 2026 regulation changes.

Hamilton was one of the clear exceptions. Palmer calculated that the Briton had been approximately three-tenths slower than Leclerc during the second half of 2025 but was now effectively level with the Monegasque driver on overall pace. He described that change as a major step forward.

The improvement has also translated into the championship standings. Hamilton’s 31-point advantage over Leclerc has already contributed to the debate over Ferrari’s approach to its two title contenders during the second half of the season.

Kimi Antonelli is the only comparable 2026 improver

According to Palmer, championship leader Kimi Antonelli is the only other driver to have made a similarly substantial gain against his team-mate. The Mercedes driver has recovered almost two-tenths of a second relative to George Russell when compared with their performances during the latter half of 2025.

Antonelli had previously been slightly slower than Russell, but Palmer’s comparison now places the Italian marginally ahead. Hamilton and Antonelli therefore stand apart from the rest of the field in terms of the progress they have made relative to the driver in the other car.

Palmer considered Hamilton’s turnaround understandable given his status as a seven-time world champion. He suggested that renewed motivation, a stronger connection with the car and a better understanding of how to extract its performance could all explain why the Ferrari driver had been capable of making such a significant step.

Why the 2026 F1 regulations suit Lewis Hamilton

The prevailing view is that Hamilton’s driving style is considerably better suited to the 2026 generation of Formula 1 machinery than it was to the previous ground-effect cars. The regulatory overhaul reduced downforce levels by approximately 30 per cent while introducing smaller and lighter chassis.

Those changes have produced more agile cars, moving Formula 1 away from the heavier machinery with which Hamilton struggled during 2025. His ability to adapt has allowed him to erase the substantial pace deficit he previously carried against Leclerc and establish a far more competitive position within Ferrari.

The regulation change is not presented as the only reason for the improvement, however. It forms part of a wider combination of technical, operational and personal developments that have made Hamilton more comfortable during his second season at Maranello.

Fred Vasseur credits Hamilton’s development influence

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has attributed part of the recovery to Hamilton’s growing influence over the development of the car. During 2025, the British driver effectively inherited a project shaped by the previous work of Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, leaving him to adapt to a package created before his arrival.

Hamilton has since had greater opportunity to communicate what he needs from the car and contribute to its technical direction. His progress is particularly important as Ferrari attempts to sustain its championship challenge despite the points already lost during the 2026 campaign.

The seven-time world champion is also working with race engineer Carlo Santi following the end of his difficult partnership with Riccardo Adami. The new working relationship appears to have been considerably more productive, helping create clearer communication and a more effective operating environment around Hamilton’s side of the garage.

Off-track happiness adds to Hamilton’s resurgence

The transformation has not been limited to the circuit or Ferrari’s engineering structure. Nicolas Hamilton has indicated that his brother is happier away from Formula 1 than he was previously and believes that this improvement in his personal life has also contributed to the resurgence.

Taken together, the new regulations, Hamilton’s greater role in car development, his partnership with Carlo Santi and a more positive off-track situation provide several connected explanations for the scale of the turnaround. Palmer’s comparison places a clear figure on that progress: a driver who had been around three-tenths behind Leclerc is now operating at approximately the same overall pace.

The contrast with 2025 is considerable. The Briton has moved from the heaviest intra-team defeat of his career to leading Leclerc by 31 points, while bringing Ferrari’s internal qualifying and race battles close to parity. The second half of the season will determine whether that recovery can also strengthen his challenge against championship leader Kimi Antonelli.