Ferrari 'Love' for Hamilton Reveals Shifting Balance Against Leclerc

Lewis Hamilton is fast becoming the darling of Maranello, with former Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley claiming the seven-time world champion has the team and Italian media "putting him on a pedestal." After securing his first win for Ferrari in Barcelona and opening a 40-point lead over Charles Leclerc, Hamilton appears to be shifting the internal balance of power at the Scuderia in a way Smedley describes as "not very nice" for his teammate.

Why it matters:

Ferrari has spent years building its identity around Leclerc as the homegrown star capable of ending the team's championship drought. Hamilton's rapid integration and recent success threaten to disrupt that narrative, potentially forcing the team to reassess its leadership hierarchy and resource allocation between the two drivers.

The details:

• Recent form: Hamilton backed up runner-up finishes in Montreal and Monaco with a landmark victory in Barcelona, his first as a Ferrari driver. Leclerc suffered a late DNF in the same race, widening the intra-team points deficit to 40.
• Team dynamics: Smedley, who retains close ties to Ferrari after serving there from 2004 to 2013, reports that Hamilton is "corralling the team around him" and earning overwhelming support from within Maranello.
• Leclerc's position: Having debuted in 2019 and recently signed a long-term extension, Leclerc was firmly established as Ferrari's poster boy and leading title hope. Smedley acknowledges that Hamilton's ascendancy represents a significant psychological and political challenge for the Monegasque.
• Season outlook: Despite expecting Leclerc to recover some ground later in the season, Smedley predicts Hamilton will ultimately "nick it" in their internal battle.

The big picture:

While Hamilton has warned that Ferrari still lacks the consistency to challenge for regular wins and titles, his Barcelona victory made him the first non-Mercedes winner of the 2026 season. The pecking order remains volatile as teams navigate the early stages of the current regulations, with Ferrari showing competitive pace but no guarantee of maintaining it through the development war. For Leclerc, the challenge extends beyond pure pace—he must now fight to reclaim his status as the undisputed face of Ferrari against a teammate with seven championships and a rapidly growing fanbase in Italy.

What's next:

The battle moves to the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, where both drivers have previous wins—Hamilton in 2016 (and the 2020 Styrian GP) and Leclerc in 2022. Smedley anticipates the performance gap will stabilize as the season progresses, but Hamilton's current momentum and team support suggest Leclerc faces an uphill struggle to restore the equilibrium Ferrari once built around him.