Formula 1 News: Leclerc hints at cause of Hamilton struggle
(GMM) Charles Leclerc has given some insight into why his new Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton is having so much trouble adapting to his Maranello-made car.
On the one hand, he said he’s happy to be ahead of the seven time world champion – the most objectively successful driver in history – for now.
“Obviously, it’s gratifying to be in front,” Leclerc told RTBF in Miami. “But that’s not what makes me smile because we’re fighting, at best, for third places.
“That’s where I’m putting all my efforts – trying to improve the car so that we can fight for the victory like he did in the sprint in China. But it’s still early days for Lewis.
“He’s extremely fast, and I have a lot to learn from him.”
When asked what he thinks is going wrong for Hamilton, Leclerc answered: “I don’t have an explanation – I focus on myself.
“But Lewis is a driver and a person I’ve always looked up to, even before being in F1.”
The current trend actually seems to be downwards for 40-year-old Hamilton – as Leclerc adapts his setup and style and the car is developed, the gap between them is widening.
Team boss Frederic Vasseur plays down that assessment.
“Here we are far from Kimi (Antonelli) and close to Max (Verstappen),” he said in Miami, “but it’s not enough. What we have is a balance problem.
“And Lewis was close to Charles in Jeddah, and he’s close again now.”
It’s undeniable, however, that while Hamilton sounds confused about what to do next, Leclerc continues to chip away at getting the maximum from the car.
“Little by little, I’m trying to adapt my driving style to this new car,” he said, adding that it’s “a little more extreme, a little more difficult” than its predecessor.
“But there seems to be performance, even if we don’t have the potential to beat McLaren and even Red Bull on their best days.”
Leclerc said a couple of races ago that he had a personal breakthrough with his preferred car setup for 2025.
“I won’t go into too much detail,” he said, “but it makes the car a little bit more delicate – very, very precise – and quite difficult to drive, especially when you’re on the limit in qualifying.
“But it’s something I like, and something I’ve always liked in my career. For my part, this year we’ve gone in some very extreme directions in terms of setup, to get a bit more out of the car, so I feel like I’m changing my driving style quite a bit to adapt to the new needs of this car.”