Leclerc suggests the reason behind Hamilton's difficulties.

      "It’s still the beginning for Lewis."

      Charles Leclerc has offered some perspective on the challenges his new Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton is facing in adjusting to his car from Maranello. While he expressed satisfaction in temporarily being ahead of the seven-time world champion, who is considered the most successful driver in history, he emphasized that it’s not the main source of his happiness.

      "Of course, it feels rewarding to be ahead," Leclerc shared with RTBF in Miami. "However, that’s not what truly brings me joy, as we’re competing primarily for third place. My focus is on enhancing the car to enable us to fight for victories, like Lewis did during the sprint race in China. But it’s still early days for him. He’s incredibly fast, and there’s a lot I can learn from him."

      When asked about the difficulties Hamilton is experiencing, Leclerc replied, "I can’t explain it—I concentrate on my own performance. Lewis is a driver and individual I’ve admired even before joining F1."

      Currently, the trend seems to be downward for 40-year-old Hamilton, as Leclerc fine-tunes his setup and driving style while the car evolves, resulting in an increasing gap between them. Team principal Frederic Vasseur downplayed this observation.

      "We’re far from Kimi (Antonelli) and close to Max (Verstappen) here," he stated in Miami, "but that’s still not sufficient. We have a balance problem. Lewis was competitive with Charles in Jeddah and is again now."

      However, it’s clear that while Hamilton appears uncertain about his next steps, Leclerc is effectively maximizing the car’s potential.

      "Gradually, I am trying to adapt my driving style to this new car," he explained, noting that it’s "a bit more extreme, somewhat trickier" than its predecessor. "Yet, there seems to be potential for performance, even if we lack the capability to outpace McLaren and even Red Bull on their optimal days."

      Leclerc mentioned a couple of races ago that he experienced a personal breakthrough regarding his preferred car setup for 2025.

      "I won’t delve into too much detail," he remarked, "but it makes the car slightly more sensitive—very, very precise—and quite challenging to handle, particularly at the limit during qualifying. However, it’s something I enjoy, and I have always appreciated this aspect throughout my career. This year, I feel we’ve taken some quite drastic approaches regarding setup to extract a bit more from the car, so I'm adjusting my driving style significantly to accommodate the new requirements of this vehicle."