Jacques Villeneuve tells Ferrari the ‘simple’ change they should make to fix Lewis Hamilton’s woes

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Ferrari are still searching for solutions to the problems that have plagued Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc all season.

The SF-25 was supposed to be the car that ended Ferrari’s growing wait for a Formula 1 championship.

Fred Vasseur’s team came so close to catching McLaren last year, and the introduction of Lewis Hamilton to the team should have given them the boost they needed.

Charles Leclerc was arguably the most in-form driver on the grid at the end of 2024, but things simply haven’t gone to plan this season.

Ferrari are still waiting for their first Grand Prix victory of 2025, and given the imperious form of McLaren, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they failed to record a win before F1’s regulations change next year.

Vasseur has signed a new contract at Ferrari to guide the team into the next era of the sport, and will face plenty of questions about how he plans to make the Scuderia a class-leading team going forward.

Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve believes there’s a ‘simple’ solution to Hamilton and Leclerc’s troubles this year.

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

Jacques Villeneuve tells Ferrari to change Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s race engineers

Villeneuve was asked on Sky Sports F1 (30/8 10:35 am) at the beginning of FP3 what three things he would change at Ferrari to help them return to winning ways.

He said: “Change the two engineers. Find engineers who actually gel with the drivers and give them the freedom to work with the drivers. Simple.”

Lead commentator David Croft replied: “So, don’t interfere so much, but get the right people in the right place.”

Villeneuve continued: “Yeah, let the couple work together, don’t have an outside third influence directing the two cars to try and keep them the same.

“No, let them work, let them do what they’re supposed to be doing,” to which Croft replied: “And then after that?”

“Hope and pray, I guess,” Villeneuve suggested.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Who are Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s current Ferrari race engineers?

Much has been said about Hamilton and Leclerc’s race engineers this season.

That’s mainly because both drivers have been very vocal on the team radio about the problems they’ve had with their cars across the season.

Hamilton is working alongside Riccardo Adami after more than a decade partnering with Peter Bonnington at Mercedes, while Leclerc’s engineer is Bryan Bozzi.

Adami came recommended to Hamilton by Sebastian Vettel, having previously worked alongside the four-time world champion at Ferrari.

Hamilton has received confusing radio messages from Adami throughout the season, and while he insists there isn’t a problem between them, it’s clear they don’t have the same chemistry as when he worked with Bonnington.

It’s been suggested in the past that Leclerc and Bozzi don’t have the best relationship, after Bozzi replaced Xavi Marcos last year.

Ferrari have tried to make changes behind the scenes to help both drivers, but Villeneuve is now suggesting a change in approach.

Villeneuve thinks internally things still aren’t being done right at Ferrari, and that’s up to Vasseur to fix and fix quickly.