Racer and F1 pundit Naomi Schiff has suggested that if a Mercedes-style championship battle between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were to break out, then there would only be one winner.
Hamilton has had multiple title battles up against team-mates during his F1 career, including against Fernando Alonso at McLaren, and Nico Rosberg at Mercedes.
This year, Mercedes have another similar scenario between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, but Hamilton is trying his best to disrupt that.
The seven-time world champion has been in fantastic form, claiming back-to-back second-place finishes in Canada and Monaco, before claiming his first Ferrari grand prix win at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix last time out.
It means that he is now just 41 points behind championship leader Antonelli and, crucially, 40 points ahead of team-mate Leclerc after struggling up against him in 2025.
Hamilton finished 86 points behind Leclerc in 2025, but the tables have turned in 2026 as Hamilton has grown more comfortable at the Maranello-based outfit.
But Schiff believes that this current disparity in form between the two drivers may well last long term.
Leclerc going to struggle in Hamilton team-mate fight?
Schiff said on the Up to Speed podcast: “It’s funny because before Lewis joined Ferrari, he did make the effort to make sure he went out for dinner with Charles and spend a little bit of time outside of the F1 environment with him.
“And we know that even in their downtime, they spend some time virtually playing chess together. And so, they obviously enjoy each other’s company. I don’t think that it’s anywhere near any drama between them just yet.
“I found it quite interesting to hear Nico Rosberg’s review of the race on Sunday and saying how hard it is to have Lewis as a team-mate and that it’s a very, very difficult mental space to be in. And I don’t think we’re just there yet because, you know, let’s not say that this is some sort of internal team battle just yet or that Lewis is really fighting for the world title just yet.
“But when it does come, it’s going to be very difficult because Lewis is a beast when it comes to that and he doesn’t show his emotions in that sense and I think Charles will struggle if it gets to that.
“But we’re not there yet. They do respect each other. They still have a lot of camaraderie between the two of them and Charles is just going to have to dot his I’s, cross his T’s, and avoid the mistakes he’s making.
“He’s already trailing Lewis by 40 points in this championship. So, it’s time to get things together again.”
