Jolyon Palmer saw Lewis Hamilton do something Carlos Sainz never managed vs Charles Leclerc

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Jolyon Palmer says Charles Leclerc found himself in uncharted territory against Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton last time out in Canada.

Hamilton was quicker than Leclerc in both Sprint and Grand Prix qualifying and beat him by well over half a minute en route to second place. The Monegasque did manage to finish ahead in the Saturday race after a late overtake.

Leclerc called Canada the worst weekend of his career, and while P4 looks like a solid result on paper, he benefited from George Russell’s DNF and McLaren’s intermediate-tyre blunder. He also escaped unscathed after a half-spin on the exit of the final chicane.

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Lewis Hamilton ‘categorically outpaced’ Charles Leclerc in Montreal

Some experts are making Ferrari favourites for the Monaco Grand Prix given the strength of their chassis (as opposed to their engine), but Palmer is now questioning his prediction that Leclerc will come out on top.

That’s after hearing a ‘despondent’ Leclerc shut down communication with his team during the race, unless the information was ‘critical’.

Leclerc, slower than his teammate in all six segments of qualifying across the weekend, was ‘categorically outpaced’ in a manner not seen before.

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Palmer said on the F1 Nation podcast: “Before, I’ve been saying, ‘Charles, Monaco, it’s going to happen, it’s on the cards.’

“I have to say, Canada is not a good preparation for it. He was so despondent. The whole way through Saturday, this was maybe the worst weekend he’s ever had.

“Sunday, he just sounded so glib on the radio, ‘don’t talk to me until the last lap’, had that silly spin.

“I would say that, for the first time in an awfully long time, almost in his whole career, was categorically outpaced by a teammate. Before, if Lewis has been ahead, if Carlos Sainz has been ahead, even if you take it back to Seb Vettel being ahead, it’s been hundredths, 50/50 ish and it lands towards the teammate.

“Whereas Charles can have these weekends where he’s just two or three tenths up the road, a little bit like Lewis was in Canada. I think that’s why you saw a different side of him, where he’s not actually that close. He is just not feeling the grip.”

Charles Leclerc cancels media commitments before Monaco Grand Prix

2024 Monaco winner Leclerc is typically a driver in demand before his home race, but he has cleared his schedule before the race by backing out of some team events.

Clearly, Leclerc is trying to refocus before what is, in his eyes, ‘the biggest race of the year’.

“The next race is Monaco,” Palmer said. “It’s his best one. Is that the perfect tonic? The best place for him to come back, just feel his groove. Or is it a bad time to have his best race, when he’s arriving without the confidence?

“Cancelling the media commitments shows he’s not in a natural space. He’s feeling like he needs a reset here, probably just a few days out to get away from it and then regather himself. It’s his biggest race of the year coming up.”

Before the Canadian GP, Hamilton disconnected, spending time with friends in North America rather than returning to Europe to work in the factory and simulator. He feels this contributed to his best performance in red, and perhaps this has inspired Leclerc.