Charles Leclerc ‘enjoyed the fight’ with Ferrari team mate Lewis Hamilton in battle for 2026 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix podium

Charles Leclerc “enjoyed the fight” with Ferrari team mate Lewis Hamilton in the Chinese Grand Prix as the pair engaged in an entertaining battle for the final podium position in Sunday’s race.

The duo occupied the second row of the grid ahead of the 56-lap race at the Shanghai International Circuit, having briefly battled in Saturday’s Sprint with Hamilton getting the upper-hand to finish third.

The seven-time World Champion came out on top of their tussle again during the Grand Prix having briefly gained the lead on the opening lap, later admitting it “was one of the most enjoyable races I’ve had”.

Leclerc also felt the same, having gone wheel-to-wheel with his team mate at several points, including a switchback of positions through Turns 9 and 10 at one stage.

The new 2026 regulations offering drivers the chance to fight for positions over multiple laps with the use of overtake mode and less dirty air through the corners.

Leclerc had stated earlier in the weekend that he struggled to get fully to grips with the Shanghai circuit, and that Hamilton had done a better job throughout to earn his first Grand Prix podium with the Scuderia.

“I actually really enjoyed the race,” said Leclerc. “Of course, a little bit disappointed to lose out on the podium but on the other side I’m happy for Lewis and I think he deserves it more than I do on a weekend like this where he’s been more on top of things than me.

“He’s just been stronger since FP1 to now, but it was a very nice race. I enjoyed the fight and the only big negative I would say is the gap to Mercedes, which on a day like this, we can see that they are a big step ahead of everyone, so we’ve got to work hard.

“We enjoyed it [the wheel-to-wheel battle]. I did, I couldn’t speak with Lewis yet because he was on the podium but it was a nice battle and there was this overtake mode battle for whoever was behind. There was many things going on which was quite cool.”