Lewis Hamilton: I have no desire for special treatment from Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton asserts that he has not been seeking preferential treatment from Ferrari concerning his teammate Charles Leclerc, despite being a possible contender for the Formula 1 championship in 2026.

Leclerc’s withdrawal from the Italian Grand Prix has left him 112 points behind championship frontrunner Kimi Antonelli, with a potential 258 points available across the final 10 races—assuming the concluding events remain unaffected by the conflict in Iran.

In contrast, Hamilton's gap is ‘only’ 76 points, which gives the seven-time world champion a more plausible chance—albeit slim—of emerging as a dark horse for the title.

When questioned about whether it was appropriate for the Scuderia to rally behind him and have Leclerc lend support, Hamilton replied: “That's not actually really what I've been asking for.”

“It's really just about ensuring we are executing well to achieve the best outcome for the team. Instead of competing against each other and finishing fourth and fifth, perhaps we can collaborate and secure a podium, earning more points.”

Hamilton's consistency has been key in keeping him in the championship hunt, as he remains the only driver to have finished every grand prix in the top 10, with the top six never being out of reach. However, he is acutely aware of Mercedes' speed advantage, as Ferrari has yet to secure a single pole position in 2026; this gap is largely due to the power unit.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

“If you look at the last race, Mercedes was six tenths faster per lap on the straights,” Hamilton noted. “On most other tracks, it was three or four tenths. We were losing time primarily on the straights.

“I believe we’ve done an excellent job, considering that deficit, and we’re consistently improving the car. We made enhancements to the engine. We knew that the last [engine] upgrade would not be a miraculous solution to completely close that gap. But for me, it’s very encouraging to see us continually making progress. They are just extremely quick, and it's challenging.

“As I mentioned, rather than concentrate on them—because they’re not my focus right now—I think we should concentrate on how we can perform our best and execute effectively on our weekends, as there will be occasions where they excel, and others where they might falter.

“As long as we maintain our focus on consistency and work to optimize our weekends, there may come a time where we can take advantage of their potential shortcomings.”

Just as he did when he triumphed over Antonelli and George Russell in the Barcelona Grand Prix.