Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are just eight points apart in the standings heading into this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix.

While Kimi Antonelli is on the verge of the title, Hamilton and Leclerc are part of an intriguing four or perhaps even five-way battle for second place. There are only 31 points between George Russell, currently P2, and Lando Norris in P5.

Hamilton’s advantage over Leclerc hit 36 points after the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, where he won and his teammate retired. The two drivers were separated by the same margin post-Monza after Leclerc’s race-ending crash.

But the seven-time world champion suffered his first DNF of the year in Madrid after a brake failure and has finished behind his teammate in three of the four races since. That has seen his advantage progressively trimmed.

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton vie for Ferrari ‘supremacy’

In an interview with the Italian edition of Motorsport.com, Leclerc’s longtime mental coach, Riccardo Ceccarelli, was asked to what extent the intra-team battle at Ferrari mattered. It could be argued that only the #1 position is truly meaningful.

But Ceccarelli says the two drivers are competing for internal ‘supremacy’, which gives their fight a symbolic value.

How much is riding on the close battle between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at Ferrari?

Hamilton and Leclerc nearly collided at the Dutch GP, then the Briton ended up in the gravel when trying to pass his teammate at the start in Italy.

On lap one in Austin, Hamilton backed out of a move on Leclerc – a sign that there may be a new protocol in place at Ferrari after the Monza fallout. Ceccarelli isn’t expecting any incidents despite the narrow margin between the two.

“Certainly, it’s not just second place in the championship that’s at stake, but also supremacy within the team,” he said. “Finishing the championship three or four points ahead of your teammate might mean little historically, but it can have a significant impact on morale and the team’s internal balance.

“Your primary rival is always your teammate, and beating him always makes sense.

“Expect some exciting battles, even rough ones, but since they’re both mature, responsible, and fair drivers, I wouldn’t expect them to cause incidents, nor would I expect one of them to lift his foot in favour of his opponent.”

Leclerc outscored Hamilton by 86 points last season, with Hamilton’s struggles precluding any real rivalry. The 41-year-old’s resurgence this year has transformed the dynamics at Maranello.

Hamilton has repeatedly spoken about his push for change at Ferrari amid the team’s 18-year title drought, and finishing the season as the team’s lead driver would strengthen his platform.

However, Leclerc has been racing for the team since 2019 and will become their longest-serving driver next year, overtaking Michael Schumacher. He has only been outscored by a Ferrari teammate once – Carlos Sainz in 2021.

Hamilton is looking to end a run of three ‘defeats’ in four seasons in this regard, having lost out to George Russell in 2022 and 2024 before a difficult first year at Ferrari.