F1 pundit Juan Pablo Montoya is still convinced that Charles Leclerc is not as “comfortable” at Ferrari as Lewis Hamilton despite the Monegasque racing driver’s bounce-back in recent weeks.
Lewis Hamilton held the bragging rights at Maranello for quite some time in the opening stages of the current campaign, before the Briton’s home Grand Prix at Silverstone rolled around at the beginning of July.
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Having spent the entirety of the previous five race weekends in the shadow of his seven-time world title-winning teammate, Charles Leclerc bounced back in style as he took victory for the first time in nearly two years at the British Grand Prix.
The 28-year-old followed it up by besting Hamilton once again last time out at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, but Juan Pablo Montoya is still not convinced that Leclerc is enjoying the same comfort levels as the Briton while at the wheel of Ferrari’s SF-26.
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Juan Pablo Montoya says Charles Leclerc is heading ‘in the right direction’, but Lewis Hamilton is still superior
During F1TV’s Weekend Warm-Up for the Hungarian Grand Prix, Montoya was asked for his thoughts on how Ferrari’s star-studded driver line-up will fare in Budapest.
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Of course, the Hungaroring is one of Hamilton’s most successful circuits, having won at the track on eight separate occasions. Leclerc, on the other hand, is yet to stand on the top step in Budapest, despite controlling the majority of last year’s edition of the race.
“I think Lewis will be the faster guy,” Montoya began. “I think he’s more comfortable in the car, and I think the team understands what he needs better.
“For sure, Charles is coming, and he’s going in the right direction, but you can see that he’s still searching whereas Lewis seems to be honed in on what they need to do.”
However, despite Ferrari entering the weekend as favourites due to the SF-26’s strong chassis providing prowess in the medium speed corners, Montoya believes this weekend will be more of a mixed bag.
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“I think the other thing that will be brought at this track is that it’s going to be a mixture of teams,” he added.
“I don’t think we’re just going to see a Ferrari and Mercedes. I think McLaren can be there. I think Red Bull can be there, and I think it’s gonna be a very mixed grid.”
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