Gian Carlo Minardi reveals why Charles Leclerc may be showing ‘signs of nervousness’ about Lewis Hamilton

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Charles Leclerc will partner seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari next season as Carlos Sainz leaves the team.

The Monegasque has been impressive at Ferrari since joining the team in 2019 and got the upper hand over four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel during their time as teammates.

Leclerc has continued to build the team around him, and the 27-year-old impressively sits third in the championship behind Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.

Hamilton will join him ahead of the 2025 season in what should be a very competitive line-up that may lead Ferrari to the championship.

It will be a significant challenge for Leclerc and the toughest teammate he’s had to deal with. Gian Carlo Minardi told the motorsport.com Italia YouTube channel why the Ferrari driver may be slightly nervy about battling Hamilton.

Charles Leclerc ‘should have waited’ when battling George Russell for the lead in Las Vegas

Leclerc qualified in fourth place for the Las Vegas Grand Prix but stormed into second place as he passed Pierre Gasly and teammate Sainz.

The Ferrari driver placed his car perfectly to get ahead of both in the opening few turns which allowed him to attack George Russell for the lead.

Russell resisted the hard-charging Leclerc, who used a lot of life from the Pirelli tyres, and he soon wasn’t able to keep up with the Mercedes.

READ MORE: £9.6m-a-year driver may no longer be on Ferrari’s ‘list’ after what he did at Las Vegas Grand Prix

Minardi explained that his eagerness to take the lead may have cost him a second-place finish and valuable points in the Constructors’ Championship battle.

He said: “It certainly won’t be easy for the team to manage a seven-time world champion who, moreover, doesn’t want to tell you that as a show it was good the first two corners, first three corners in the fight between Russell and Leclerc.

“But it’s a sign of nervousness because if you have the car and you tried the car in the long run. In my opinion, you should have waited a moment not ruined the tyres as he did, and gambled for it which was perhaps a second place.

“So I would say that these are signs of nervousness that can have a negative impact on the final result, which is in Ferrari’s reach and which was unexpected at the beginning of the year.”

Charles Leclerc may have an advantage over Lewis Hamilton in qualifying next season

Leclerc has been blisteringly fast in qualifying over his career but has an occasional tendency to step over the limit and make a mistake.

The Ferrari driver slumped to sixth on the grid after running off the track in Q3 ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix this year and he had potential to set a quicker time.

Martin Brundle feels Leclerc is the quickest in F1 and Hamilton may struggle to match his new teammate over a single lap.

Despite Leclerc likely having an advantage over Hamilton in qualifying, they have both been showing good race pace.

Both drivers took two fastest laps and the championship point in the first half of the year before Leclerc took a third fastest lap in Mexico.

Hamilton holds the record for the most pole positions in history with 104 but has only started on the front row of the grid once this season.

Leclerc and Hamilton should combine well at the Italian team as they look to win Ferrari’s first Driver’s Championship since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.