Lewis Hamilton's F1 team-mate won't help him adapt to Fe...read

Lewis Hamilton’s F1 team-mate won’t help him adapt to Fe…read more

Lewis Hamilton’s transition to Ferrari has not been as smooth as many expected, and his team-mate Charles Leclerc has now offered insight into why the seven-time world champion has found it difficult to fully adapt to life at Maranello. Despite the high-profile nature of Hamilton’s move and the excitement that surrounded his arrival, the 2025 Formula 1 season has proven to be a challenging one, both for the team and for Hamilton personally.
Speaking about the situation, Leclerc explained that Hamilton’s struggles are not something that can easily be resolved through guidance from a team-mate. According to the Monegasque driver, adapting to Ferrari is a deeply personal process that depends on a driver’s individual style, experience, and instincts. While team-mates can share data, observations, and feedback, Leclerc believes that no one can truly “teach” another driver how to feel comfortable in a car that behaves very differently from what they are used to.
Ferrari’s 2025 challenger, the SF-25, has been a source of frustration throughout the season. Both drivers have publicly and privately expressed concerns about its inconsistency, particularly in terms of balance and tyre management. The car has often struggled to deliver predictable performance across different tracks and conditions, making it difficult for drivers to extract maximum pace. For Hamilton, who spent the majority of his career driving cars built around a very specific philosophy at Mercedes, this adjustment has been especially demanding.
Leclerc acknowledged that he has the advantage of familiarity. Having grown up within Ferrari’s system and spent several seasons working closely with the team’s engineers, he understands how the car tends to behave and how Ferrari typically approaches set-up and race strategy. This background has allowed him to adapt more quickly to the SF-25’s limitations, even if he has not been fully satisfied with its overall competitiveness.
In contrast, Hamilton has had to unlearn habits developed over many years at Mercedes. Leclerc suggested that this process cannot be rushed and is often more difficult than people outside the sport realise. Every Formula 1 team has its own culture, technical language, and way of interpreting data, and integrating into that environment takes time. From Leclerc’s perspective, this is something Hamilton must work through on his own, with support from his engineers rather than from his team-mate.
The on-track results from the 2025 season underline the difference in how the two drivers have coped. Leclerc managed to secure seven podium finishes, consistently placing himself among the front runners when opportunities arose. Hamilton, on the other hand, endured a podium-less campaign, a rare occurrence in his illustrious career. In qualifying, Leclerc also held a clear advantage, outperforming Hamilton 19 times compared to Hamilton’s five, a statistic that highlights how comfortable Leclerc was over a single lap.
Despite these numbers, Leclerc was careful not to frame the situation as a personal rivalry. He stressed that Hamilton remains one of the greatest drivers in Formula 1 history and that his struggles should not be seen as a reflection of declining ability. Instead, Leclerc pointed to the complexity of modern Formula 1 cars and the fine margins that separate success from frustration.
Looking ahead, Leclerc believes that Hamilton’s experience and determination will eventually help him find his footing at Ferrari. However, he maintained that there is little he can do directly to accelerate that process. Adaptation, in his view, comes from time, trust in the team, and countless hours of work behind the scenes.
As Ferrari continues to search for improvements and consistency, the focus will remain on giving both drivers a car capable of fighting at the front. For Hamilton, the challenge is clear: mastering a new environment while dealing with a car that has tested even those most familiar with it. For Leclerc, the priority is to keep extracting the maximum from the SF-25 while the team works toward a more competitive future.