Charles Leclerc’s victory at the British Grand Prix put Ferrari back in the spotlight in the 2026 Formula One season, but not everyone believes the Monegasque is capable of contending for the title. For former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer, the gap in the standings already makes a comeback unlikely, although his return to form could benefit Lewis Hamilton.
Leclerc secured at Silverstone his first win since 2024, taking advantage of the trouble suffered by Kimi Antonelli when the Mercedes driver looked set to win. The result ended a tough run for the Monegasque, precisely at a moment when Hamilton had been showing progress with Ferrari.
Despite the win, Hamilton holds a more favorable position in the title fight. The seven-time champion has 39 points more than his teammate and is only 32 behind the leader Antonelli, while Leclerc sits 71 points away from the lead.
For Palmer, this scenario practically eliminates Leclerc’s chances of contending for the title: “Kimi Antonelli should have won the British Grand Prix if he hadn’t suffered that damage, so it wasn’t as if Charles had simply dominated the field. Lewis Hamilton also didn’t feel entirely comfortable with Ferrari during the race,” he assessed.
The former driver, however, highlighted that Silverstone represented Leclerc’s best performance of the season. According to Palmer, Ferrari’s newly adopted setup direction seems to have revitalized the driver’s performance, although it remains necessary to wait to see if this progress will be sustained in the upcoming rounds.
“I continue to believe that Charles is still very far back in the championship to fight for the title, but you never know. Having him back in his peak form can only be a major asset for the team, and particularly for Lewis in his pursuit,” he added.
Palmer isn’t the only former Formula One figure to back this path for Ferrari. Former race engineer Rob Smedley stated that Hamilton represents the “only chance” for the Italian team to surpass Mercedes in the championship race. In his view, allowing the two drivers to contest positions against each other would significantly reduce the chances of winning the drivers’ title, making it more logical to concentrate efforts on the British driver’s campaign.
