Mercedes still have a “huge” advantage, claim Hamilton and Leclerc

As Formula 1 heads into the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have offered a candid assessment of the competitive picture, with each driver acknowledging that Mercedes currently holds a clear advantage over Ferrari.

Hamilton, reflecting on the early-season form, admitted that Ferrari is unlikely to close the gap in the short term, estimating that the deficit in race trim remains significant.

“I think it’s really dependent on development,” he said, stressing that the next phase of the season will be shaped by how quickly teams can bring upgrades.

“The development rate is pretty steep for everyone at the moment, so it’s going to be interesting to see who brings upgrades over these next races.”

Hamilton pointed to the sizeable performance difference seen in Australia as evidence of the challenge ahead. “They do have a big advantage – you saw in qualifying, it was eight tenths or something like that,” he explained.

“In the race, I think it was between four and five tenths when they’re in clear air, which is a huge gap. So it’s really going to be interesting to see the development. We’re going to try and catch them up and I believe we can, but I don’t know. It’s not going to be a short thing.”

A major part of Mercedes’ edge, Hamilton noted, comes from straight‑line performance, particularly when active aero and energy deployment come into play. “It seems mostly on straight, so I think it would be at the moment everywhere on the straights,” he said.

“It seems more so when they open up the ESM – that’s when they take a huge step, so whatever’s going in that phase is an area we need to understand.”

Hamilton also highlighted the difference in hybrid deployment, saying, “They seem to have a little bit more deployment, so less de‑rating at the end of the straights than some of us. So we’ve just got to work on trying to see how we can eke out more from our engine.”

Charles Leclerc, speaking ahead of the Shanghai weekend, largely echoed Hamilton’s assessment of the competitive order. The Ferrari driver admitted that the Scuderia is “definitely not” operating at Mercedes’ level at the moment, though he believes the team can be closer in China.

“I think so, but I think the picture will stay relatively the same,” he said when asked whether Ferrari could narrow the gap. Leclerc expects qualifying to remain a challenge, explaining, “In qualifying, I don’t expect us to be at the level just yet.

“For sure, we’ll be closer because in Melbourne we did many things that we haven’t optimised and there was quite a bit of lap time in that, but we are definitely not on their level.”

Despite that, Leclerc sees potential for a more competitive showing on Sunday. “In the race, I think it will be closer,” he said, suggesting that Ferrari’s long‑run pace and the characteristics of the Shanghai circuit may help reduce the deficit.