Charles Leclerc has cemented himself as the number one driver at Ferrari this season following the arrival in Maranello of seven-time F1 world champion, Lewis Hamilton.
The Scuderia stunned the paddock in February 2024, as Ferrari confirmed that Hamilton had agreed to leave Mercedes from the 2025 F1 season and partner Leclerc. Ferrari had also tied Leclerc up with a new contract in January 2024 which keeps him in Maranello through 2029.
Ferrari pay Hamilton £39m a year before bonuses to have him serve the Scuderia through at least 2026. Yet the pride of Italy are yet to see much value on the circuit from the Briton this season. The 40-year-old has only scored 79 points to Leclerc’s 104 over the first 10 rounds.
Hamilton is also still yet to secure a Grand Prix podium finish for Ferrari, so has had to watch Leclerc bring home the silverware with the 27-year-old’s P2 in Monaco and his P3 finishes in Saudi Arabia and Spain. The Briton has thus far only beaten the Monegasque once at Imola.
Charles Leclerc offers himself to Ferrari for their 2026 Pirelli F1 wet tyre test at Fiorano
Leclerc is even already attempting to get a jump-start on next season when Pirelli will supply a new range of tyres to match the 2026 F1 regulations. That is according to Motorsport.com, which reports that Leclerc has offered himself to Ferrari for a 2026 Pirelli tyre test on Friday.
Ferrari are the latest team to help Pirelli develop their 2026 F1 tyre range with a test session at Fiorano. Zhou Guanyu was the first driver to hit the track in a modified version of Ferrari’s 2024 car, the SF-24, on Thursday as part of his reserve driver duties for the 2025 F1 season.
READ MORE: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Oscar Piastri |
198 |
| 2 |
Lando Norris |
176 |
| 3 |
Max Verstappen |
155 |
| 4 |
George Russell |
136 |
| 5 |
Charles Leclerc |
104 |
| 6 |
Lewis Hamilton |
79 |
| 7 |
Andrea Kimi Antonelli |
63 |
It was Zhou’s first time driving any Ferrari F1 car after joining them prior to the 2025 season. But the ex-Sauber star will hand the SF-24 mule car to Leclerc on Friday, as Ferrari continue to help Pirelli test its wet tyres with aerodynamic loads near to what the 2026 cars will offer.
Leclerc ‘made himself available’ to Ferrari for Friday’s Pirelli 2026 F1 tyre test as he wants to familiarise himself with what the new rubber might be like. Hamilton did not want to take part in the tyre test as the Briton does not think it is beneficial to sample any experimental tyres.
Charles Leclerc could gain a big advantage over Lewis Hamilton in the 2026 F1 season
Hamilton will hope that his view that a Pirelli tyre test does not provide any advantages for a driver is right with Leclerc offering himself to Ferrari for Friday’s run at Fiorano. The 27-year-old may gain a big advantage over Hamilton for next year by knowing how the wet tyres act.
READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family
The tyre test is not truly representative with Ferrari running a modified version of their 2024 car to simulate the 2026 F1 regulations. But Leclerc may potentially hit the ground harder in a wet session next term than Hamilton if Pirelli maintains a similar construction in its tyres.
By offering himself to Ferrari for the test, Leclerc is also ensuring that the team keep him in high regard. In contrast, Hamilton feels not everyone at Ferrari supports him any longer, as the Briton has seen a shift in how their engineers act near him compared to when he joined.
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