Leclerc on Hamilton: 'I Have No Advice to Give'
Charles Leclerc says he can't offer much help to Lewis Hamilton during his difficult first Ferrari year. The Monegasque driver noted his own focus and the team's car, the SF-25, simply lacked the necessary performance to fight at the front.
Charles Leclerc has addressed Lewis Hamilton's difficult first season at Ferrari, stating he has little advice to offer the seven-time world champion. Leclerc explained that his focus remains on his own performance and adapting to the car, while also pointing out that the SF-25's fundamental lack of pace was the team's primary issue, not driver integration.
Why it matters:
The dynamic between Hamilton and Leclerc is critical to Ferrari's championship ambitions. Hamilton's highly anticipated move from Mercedes was expected to be a game-changer, but his struggles highlight the immense challenge of adapting to a new team after over a decade. Leclerc's comments underscore that Hamilton's integration is a personal journey, and the team's success hinges not just on driver synergy but on delivering a fundamentally competitive car.
The details:
- Limited Support: Leclerc was direct about his inability to actively help Hamilton, stating, "My job is to maximize everything that is in my control... It's difficult to spend time beyond that to specifically support Lewis."
- A Champion's Respect: The Monegasque driver feels unqualified to advise his new teammate, admitting, "Lewis has achieved much more than I ever have. I have no advice to give him."
- The Adaptation Process: Leclerc emphasized that a team switch after a long tenure is a major undertaking. "The processes are completely different, the perspective, the team, the way of working. All that takes time to get used to," he noted.
- The Car's Limitations: Leclerc offered a blunt assessment of the SF-25, suggesting the team extracted the maximum potential from a flawed package. "I think we maximized the car well over the season. But the performance of the car was simply not good enough... We were consistently not fast enough."
Looking Ahead:
Leclerc's assessment places the onus squarely on Ferrari to produce a much better chassis for the 2026 season. While Hamilton is expected to be more acclimatized to the team's processes in his second year, his ability to challenge for wins will ultimately be dictated by the car's performance. The partnership's success, and Ferrari's return to the top, depends on engineering a car that is "fast enough" to compete with the frontrunners.