Leclerc is ‘benefitting the most’ from what Hamilton is doing behind the scenes at Ferrari – journalist

Lewis Hamilton is striving to be a success at Ferrari after a tough start in Maranello. His work may be, perhaps inadvertently, helping his teammate.

The seven-time champion hoped for a fresh start in 2025 after a difficult end to his spell at Mercedes. Despite all the hype, Hamilton’s struggles have followed him to Ferrari as he finds the ground effect era of cars tough to drive.

Ferrari have struggled with a ride height issue all season, while the Brit has continuously suffered with understeer and controlling the rear of the SF-25. Hamilton pleaded for help in Baku as the problem plagued him throughout the race.

These woes came even after Hamilton sent private documents to Ferrari, detailing how they can improve on the track and operationally. He is pushing himself and the team to find solutions, but despite this, Charles Leclerc has been a step ahead.

The Monegasque driver has scored all five of Ferrari’s podiums this season and has had his teammate beaten in qualifying. Leclerc is well-suited to the team’s operations and has continued to showcase his strengths over one lap.

Fred Vasseur thinks Hamilton took pressure off Leclerc by joining the team. The 40-year-old’s mega announcement over the winter was met with huge optimism for 2025, but it has been his teammate reaping the benefits from him.

Charles Leclerc is ‘benefiting the most’ from Lewis Hamilton’s ‘strong movement’ behind the scenes at Ferrari

Speaking via FOX Sports MX, journalist Diego Mejia and former IndyCar driver Mario Dominguez discussed Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari. The latter noted how he is working hard behind the scenes to improve his fortunes, and that has helped Leclerc.

“So, whether you like it or not, hunger is not the same after winning so much as when you are just starting out or have few world titles. So, I think he will have to get back on that path to be successful,” said Dominguez.

“Leclerc is a driver who, if you look at it this way, hasn’t won anything, and he said, well, Lewis Hamilton is coming to change the world here. And he surely worked even harder to be better than before, without a doubt, right?

Mejia then added: “And he’s the one who’s benefiting the most from all this strong movement within Ferrari, which some have criticized Luca di Montezemolo, Ferrari’s boss for so many years, especially in the era of Schumacher.

“And before that in the era of Niki Lauda, saying that Ferrari lacks a leader and that they are more concerned with big announcements like Hamilton’s.”

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Will Lewis Hamilton get the better of Charles Leclerc at Ferrari?

Leclerc has not been surprised by Hamilton’s ‘magic’ since joining Ferrari. He has learned a lot from having a seven-time champion next to him in the garage.

The 27-year-old is 44 points ahead of Hamilton in the standings with seven races to go. Currently without a podium, not including Sprints, the Brit faces becoming the first Ferrari driver since Kimi Raikkonen in 2014 not to finish in the top three in a season.

It would also mark the first time in his entire career that he would not have scored a podium in a calendar year. He is pushing to improve, but Hamilton is still plagued with a ‘temperature’ issue from his time at Ferrari, as well as having Leclerc as his teammate.

Martin Brundle thinks Hamilton has accepted Leclerc’s pace as he finds it difficult to match the Monegasque driver. He will be determined to end the season on a high note ahead of the much-anticipated regulations change in 2026.