2026 has been a troubled F1 season so far for Charles Leclerc and Ferrari insider Rob Smedley believes Lewis Hamilton is a big reason why.

The 28-year-old Leclerc has really struggled to live up to expectations after signing a new multi-year deal with the Scuderia, and trails team-mate Hamilton by 36 points as he sits fifth in the current Driver’s standings.

The Monegasque is brilliantly fast – of that there is no question – but an error-strewn campaign this year has left him playing second fiddle to Hamilton at Maranello. At least in terms of race results.

His latest miserable moment came at Monza last Sunday when he crashed heavily at the Parabolica on Lap 2, ending his afternoon with a massive impact.

That devastating moment came just after Charles and Lewis had made contact on Lap 1, an incident for which Leclerc has accepted full responsibility.

Leclerc says he is okay from a physical perspective after that terrifying crash, but former Ferrari race engineer Smedley believes he is struggling with the mental pressure of being Hamilton’s team-mate.

Why Leclerc is struggling in 2026 – Smedley analysis

While Hamilton has delivered on a regular basis in 2026, Leclerc by contrast has been inconsistent and prone to errors, a point Smedley was keen to emphasise.

Speaking on the High Performance Racing podcast, he explained: “You can’t discount what they did at the start of the season – they came out the box, they had a good car, and Lewis was delivering and is still delivering.

“Charles is up and down, but I’m fairly convinced that is the psychological pressure of having somebody as good as Lewis next to him, or a resurgent Lewis next to him.”

That big moment in Monza was not Leclerc’s first high-profile crash this season – first he clipped the wall in Miami, then crashed twice in Monaco and also in qualifying in Barcelona. This should not be the form of a man who has been in the sport for almost a decade.

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Leclerc crashes not the form of an F1 veteran

“He’s not having a great season by Charles Leclerc’s standards,” continued Smedley.

“He’s a good driver. How many seasons has Charles been in F1 now? 10? You make a decision on a rookie that is very fast and crashes a lot. Not on a guy who has been in F1 five or 10 years.”

Smedley’s colleague – former F1 team principal Otmar Szafnauer – emphasised how Hamilton’s mind games can impact a team-mate. Sometimes very directly.

Hamilton is ‘really good’ at mind games

“Lewis is really good at the psychological games,” he claimed.

“[Nico] Rosberg used to like to kick the soccer ball around before the start of the race – everyone does different things. Probably relaxed him, got his reactions sharp.

“And guess what Lewis used to do, used to hide the ball.”

Leclerc is expected to be back in the Ferrari this weekend for the Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit, though he will be monitored for any lingering impact from that Monza crash.

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Max Verstappen has revealed his ‘bucket list’ races, after competing in the Nurburgring 24 Hours showpiece earlier this year.

The Red Bull F1 star has talked extensively about racing outside of the series in which he’s a four-time world champion, and spends much of his free time sim racing with his friends.

Verstappen has now told BBC Sport that he has hopes for an extensive schedule outside of F1 at some point in his career, while also revealing that he’s discussed the possibility of doing one of the world’s most iconic races with a fellow F1 star.

Fernando Alonso has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice in as many attempts, victorious alongside Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima in both 2018 and 2019, and Verstappen has now admitted that the pair have discussed teaming up for the most famous endurance race on the planet.

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Verstappen: Alonso experience could work at Le Mans

Asked for his bucket list races beyond returning to the Nurburgring in a winning car, he said: “All the endurance races. Eventually, of course also Hypercar [the world endurance championship]. I don’t want to rush it. I want to do it in the right environment. On my terms. And competitive.”

Pressed on whether talk that he wants to enter Le Mans with two-time world champion Alonso, he said: “We’ve talked about it. I mean, look at Fernando. He’s 45 and he’s still flying.

“Especially for Le Mans, with his experience, it could be a good option. It needs to fit our schedules. It needs to make sense. It needs to be on my terms. And there needs to be a real chance to go there and win it.”

Verstappen has committed to running in F1 through the 2030 season with his new Red Bull contract and, asked what gave him the motivation to continue despite his public criticism of the current regulation package and new breed of cars, he answered: “Hoping that it will be better in the future.

“Accepting where we are at the moment. Still the love for the sport. Not at the moment the driving. But the love for the sport.

“I love competition, naturally. I just hope that in the coming years, towards 2030, it can only get better. And to start to make the best of it, because these are the rules for the next four or five years.”

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Netflix have released the official trailer for their new Michael Schumacher documentary and it looks like it’s going to be a must-watch for F1 fans.

Schumacher ’94: The Birth of a Legend is set to be released on the popular streaming platform on Friday, October 2, digging into the 1994 F1 season – the year that Schumacher won the first of his seven world championships while driving for Benetton.

The 1994 season remains one of the most dramatic and controversial in F1 history, with the documentary set to not only highlight Schumacher’s meteoric rise, but also revisit the dark moments of the Imola race weekend, when fatal crashes claimed the lives of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger.

Schumacher ’94 is also set to examine allegations of technical foul play and the use of alleged ‘illegal’ electronic aids within the Benetton team, which were never proven.

Of course, that controversial end to the season in Adelaide will also be under the microscope, with Schumacher’s wife, Corinna, also set to offer personal insights into their early romance and ‘Schumi mania’.

F1 HEADLINES: Max Verstappen unhappy after Monza and Red Bull star set to miss Spanish Grand Prix

Schumacher ’94: The Birth of a Legend official trailer

Netflix released a first look at all of the above in its official trailer for the documentary over the course of the Italian Grand Prix weekend, where Ferrari also paid tribute to their former star by running a retro-inspired livery on the SF-26.

You can watch the full one-minute-and-46-second trailer below on Netflix UK and Ireland’s official X account.

One goal. One season. The start of something great.

SCHUMACHER ’94 – The Birth of a Legend, from 2 October. Only on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/U5iV8qynXk

— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) September 4, 2026

Why was F1’s 1994 season so poignant?

The 1994 F1 season was a hugely significant one for the sport, with Schumacher really starting to cement himself as the leading driver on the grid. Having only won two races prior to that year, the German went on to win eight grands prix in 1994, quickly becoming the man everyone was trying to beat.

On track, Damon Hill emerged as Schumacher’s biggest rival, winning six races himself and keeping the championship fight alive until the final round, which ended in hugely controversial circumstances in Adelaide.

Schumacher led the championship by a point heading into that finale, and, after he damaged his car and lost pace, many felt he deliberately collided with Hill to take him out of the race and secure the world title.

Away from the racing, the season was also a hugely emotional one for devastating reasons.

The deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna at Imola were truly shocking and left a huge impact on the sport, highlighting just how dangerous it still was and pushing teams and the FIA to continue to advance driver safety on the cars and at circuits moving forward.

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