Charles Leclerc isn’t celebrating with Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari

There was little to smile about for Charles Leclerc at the end of the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, the seventh round of the 2026 Formula One World Championship. At the Montmelò circuit, the Monegasque Ferrari driver had a weekend to forget: after a qualifying session marred by a crash into the barriers, the race ended prematurely with a retirement caused by a technical issue with his car.

Making Sunday’s outcome even more bitter was the victory of his teammate Lewis Hamilton, who delivered a dominant performance. The Briton finished 19.5 seconds ahead of George Russell, while Lando Norris completed the podium 23.6 seconds behind. Behind them were Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, Isack Hadjar, Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto, Liam Lawson, and Arvid Lindblad, who rounded out the top ten.

After the race, Leclerc spoke candidly about his performance to Sky Sport: “I don’t want to take any credit for today. I don’t think I contributed much to the team. I believe Lewis and the team earned this victory on their own. I would have liked to be further up the field and contribute more to the battle at the front.”

The Ferrari driver then congratulated his teammate and the Maranello team: “First of all, I want to congratulate Lewis, because he did something truly extraordinary today. Congratulations also to the whole team, which did an excellent job.” Finally, regarding the retirement that forced him to abandon the race, he added: “It wasn’t my fault. These are situations that can happen and, unfortunately, are part of racing.”