Damon Hill suspects Lewis Hamilton is stealing all Charles Leclerc’s ‘mates’ inside Ferrari

Follow us on Google Discover

Damon Hill thinks Charles Leclerc is finding it ‘very difficult’ to deal with Lewis Hamilton’s increasing popularity at Ferrari.

Hamilton has scored a little over 60% of Ferrari’s points so far this year, which is exactly what Leclerc did during their first year as teammates.

At the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, the British driver delivered their first win since the tail-end of the 2024 season, outshining Leclerc for the third straight weekend. The Monegasque has had one of his toughest stretches as a Ferrari driver just as Hamilton has regained top form.

What would Lewis Hamilton beating Charles Leclerc at 41 do for his F1 legacy?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

Damon Hill says Charles Leclerc does what he’s told, unlike Lewis Hamilton

Leclerc recently signed a new long-term deal at Ferrari that could keep him in red until the 2030s, but Hill wonders if he’s tied himself down too soon.

Speaking on the Stay on Track podcast, the 1996 F1 champion suggested that the Scuderia staff are now gravitating towards seven-time champion Hamilton.

“Charles has gone missing, the last two,” he said. “Can you believe it? In Monaco, not only was he outdone by Lewis, he had a moment and lost the car.”

“Charles has just re-signed for Ferrari. I have to say it was very early. Then he’s got these issues. Does that mean there’s nowhere else for Charles to go?

Is Charles Leclerc good enough to win multiple F1 world championships?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

“There’s a lot of frustration in his demeanour and his comments. You wonder now whether that is partly due to the fact that the guy who has had the loving arms of Ferrari put around him, Lewis has come in and got his feet under the table.

“In our sport, there are two drivers in the team. There’s one who feels comfortable there and has got all the people believing in him, then a new person arrives, and suddenly they steal all your mates! It becomes very difficult emotionally to deal with that dynamic change.

“Teams tend to be one driver heavy or the other driver heavy. Very rarely is it an even keel.”

• READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton told he’s ‘broken’ the ‘vicious circle’ that Charles Leclerc created at Ferrari

“There’s something not right. It’s a bit odd. I’ve always felt that he seems to be the victim in that team. He seems to take on responsibility a lot, he’s apologising all the time.

“Something needs to change with Charles to get the talent that he has to work.”

Hamilton changed from Brembo brake discs to Carbon Industrie at the Japanese GP in March, which has been cited as a key factor in his turnaround. Leclerc followed suit after controversially blaming his brakes for crashing out in Japan.

“He is reverting to what his guts are telling him to do, and Charles is doing what Ferrari are telling him to do,” said Hill.

“If you just end up having to follow the other driver, what does that say about you? That means that the experience the other guy’s got is more useful to the team, because it’s working and producing results.”

Johnny Herbert: Now Ferrari is ‘Lewis’ team’

Hill’s colleague Johnny Herbert admits he’s been surprised by the shift in momentum at Ferrari this year. In fact, he went as far as to say that Hamilton has made the team his own.

“It’s one of those situations where you think it’s all going to go one way and it’s going to be one-way traffic,” said Herbert. “When Lewis joined, I thought it was going to be Charles who was going to lead it, control it, and it was going to be tough for Lewis, which it was.

“Now it’s that swap around where someone who’s got all the natural ability when he’s in the car now has got that positive, mental side at the same time. He’s got all the right ingredients within the team. It was Charles’ team, but now it’s Lewis’ team.”

Leclerc retired from the Barcelona GP due to a power steering failure, having been running in sixth place. It’s worth noting that, accounting for the competitive sessions where both drivers have been classified, they’re tied 9-9 in the head-to-head.