Jolyon Palmer unsure Lewis Hamilton is ‘really back’ as he predicts ‘lightning’ Charles Leclerc run

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Jolyon Palmer has enjoyed seeing ‘happy’ Lewis Hamilton, but isn’t entirely convinced the seven-time world champion is back to his best.

Despite some early concerns when he first joined the team, Ferrari have not favoured Leclerc over Hamilton this season.

So far this season, Ferrari have balanced their delicate situation quite well, ensuring that neither of their drivers have felt scorned by them.

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Some outsiders believe Hamilton’s initial success could rattle Leclerc this season, who might be worried he is losing his spot with Ferrari.

But for all the talk about Lewis Hamilton’s performances this season, Jolyon Palmer is still unsure that Hamilton is rejuvenated and back to his best.

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Jolyon Palmer wonders if Lewis Hamilton’s strong start can be ‘derailed’ in future races

Jolyon Palmer spoke about Lewis Hamilton’s strong start to the season on the latest episode of the F1 Nation podcast. The former driver was sceptical about Hamilton’s recent success, given his issues last season.

Much like this year, Hamilton had a strong spell across the first two weeks of the season before his year went awry. As such, Palmer is unsure whether Hamilton will keep these performances up, especially as the coming races in Miami and Monaco are better suited to Charles Leclerc’s strengths.

“Let’s rewind it 12 months. He’s at Ferrari. He wins the sprint in China. He takes the fight to Charles in the Grand Prix in China, and they both get disqualified.

“They go toe-to-toe in Melbourne, where they’re both struggling for performance… Then the season derailed for him. So, if you take the sample size of two weekends, that is the thing.

“I love seeing Happy Lewis… In the car, you can tell he’s happy because of the way he’s driving and he’s enjoying racing, throwing moves when other people would maybe wave the white flag…

“But I still think there’s going to be a run of races, when you think of Miami, Monaco, where Charles is lightning. Some of these other circuits, where it’s shorter radius corners, we will see if Lewis is really back or if these are just a couple of circuits where he’s more competitive.”

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Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s partnership will be tested at Japanese Grand Prix

With both Ferrari drivers having earned a podium finish this season, both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will be looking to gain an edge over the other at Suzuka.

The internal competition between the two drivers hasn’t resulted in catastrophe for Ferrari just yet, but the Japanese Grand Prix could prove to be their undoing.

After the Chinese Grand Prix, Leclerc claimed their battle was a good sign for Ferrari. But the Monegasque star will be looking to re-establish himself as the team’s top driver.

As for Hamilton, the seven-time world champion has struggled a lot over the last few years, and will be eager to show that his recent resurgence isn’t going to decline any time soon.