Fred Vasseur reveals what Charles Leclerc is doing in Ferrari debriefs that’s helping him beat Lewis Hamilton

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Ferrari moved to second in the constructors’ championship after Charles Leclerc scored his third podium in the 2025 season in Barcelona.

The Monegasque driver has been the only Ferrari driver to get his SF-25 into the top three this year, as his teammate Lewis Hamilton is struggling to adapt to his new surroundings.

While the seven-time world champion did claim a Sprint win in Shanghai, he has not been able to mount a serious challenge to the frontrunners. Hamilton did outqualify Leclerc at the Spanish GP, but could not capitalise as he struggled for pace all weekend.

Leclerc moaned about Hamilton’s pace on the radio before he was eventually let through. The Brit watched on hopelessly as his teammate pulled away and onto the podium, while Hamilton was overtaken by Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber in the closing stages.

Team principal Fred Vasseur refused to say Hamilton and Leclerc had the same issue in Barcelona, which will not help the former’s struggles. If anything, it demonstrates how much of an advantage the latter has at Ferrari.

Fred Vasseur says Charles Leclerc is ‘more direct’ in Ferrari debriefs which is helping him beat Lewis Hamilton

Leclerc leads the qualifying battle 8-1 at Ferrari in 2025. The 27-year-old is continuing his reputation as one of the fastest drivers over one lap.

In fact, data suggests Leclerc has been the fastest driver this season, driving just 0.050 seconds away from the ‘ideal’ average lap. He has been quicker than defending champion Max Verstappen and championship leader Oscar Piastri, despite being 92 points off the top spot.

While Hamilton struggles to adapt at Ferrari, Leclerc seems to be the one to extract the most out of the SF-25 and get it onto the podium. Team boss Vasseur says that it has something to do with the improvements he has made behind the scenes.

Speaking with La Stampa, the Ferrari team principal revealed that Leclerc is ‘more direct’ with his engineers. This has gone a long way with setting up the car in the right way, and it is giving him the advantage over Hamilton.

“I would say yes, his is a good job,” he said. “Compared to the past he has made a good step forward in terms of certainty about what he wants, he is more direct in asking the engineers for what he needs.”

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Fred Vasseur has work to do after Lewis Hamilton’s misery at the Spanish Grand Prix

Ferrari took advantage of Mercedes and Red Bull’s woes to climb to second in the standings. But the challenge for the Maranello outfit is being able to stay ahead, and it is clear more work needs to be done.

Leclerc was ‘considerably ahead’ of Hamilton in Barcelona as he desperately struggled with an unstable rear end. Matters were made worse by more tension over the radio with Riccardo Adami during practice, which Vasseur must act on now to fix the persistent issue.

Hamilton was the most despondent he has ever been about Ferrari after the Spanish GP. After getting beaten by a Sauber, Hamilton said the car was the ‘worst it’s ever been’ as he could not find any comfort in the machine.

Ferrari will bring two major upgrades with a new floor and rear suspension, which they hope will help them challenge McLaren. If they fail to bring performance, they may abandon the season altogether.