Juan Pablo Montoya explains why Lewis Hamilton resurgence is actually ‘amazing’ for Charles Leclerc

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Lewis Hamilton’s victory for Ferrari in Barcelona could be worrying for Charles Leclerc, but Juan Pablo Montoya sees it as an opportunity to learn from his teammate.

Leclerc was clearly the top Ferrari driver in 2025, but this year, the momentum has flipped in Hamilton’s favour. The Brit is beating his teammate 5-2 in the Ferrari intra-team battle, having won his first race for the team at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

While Hamilton was flying at the front, his teammate was struggling all weekend. After crashing in Q3, Leclerc retired from the race in the closing stages, with him now 40 points behind Hamilton in the standings.

Juan Pablo Montoya says Charles Leclerc must now ‘understand’ why Lewis Hamilton is so successful

Leclerc was ‘in awe’ of Hamilton in Barcelona, but many will be wondering what is going wrong for the Monegasque driver in 2026. His teammate is relishing these new regulations and is getting the best out of the SF-26.

But despite Hamilton’s resurgence, Montoya believes that it is an ‘amazing opportunity’ for Leclerc. He says the 28-year-old must ‘learn’ from his teammate and understand why he has seven world championships to his name.

“I think he’s in a really good window, he’s really happy,” said Montoya on Hamilton via F1 TV. “And remember, when you’ve been doing this for so long, it comes so natural.

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“I mean, he’s been driving the same cars and everything. Yes, the rules change and everything, but he was never happy with the old rules.

“So I think these rules was a big thing for him. The feeling, he got a lot of the feeling back that he liked about driving fast cars and it’s shown.

“And I think this is a really important time, for example, for Charles to look at how Lewis brought the team forward and learn.

“Of course he wants to beat Lewis, and he will beat Lewis in a lot of races as well, but this is an amazing opportunity, that Charles has to understand what makes Lewis Hamilton that seven-time world champion.”

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Is Lewis Hamilton dethroning Charles Leclerc at Ferrari?

With Hamilton establishing the upper hand in 2026, many are starting to question the hierarchy at Ferrari.

Nico Rosberg thinks Hamilton is dethroning Leclerc as ‘the king of Ferrari’. The Monegasque driver is struggling to keep up with his teammate in 2026 and has a mountain to climb to catch him.

Jacques Villeneuve even thinks Hamilton should be number one at Ferrari if they want any chance of catching Mercedes. The Maranello outfit will continue to let their drivers fight, but it is clear that Hamilton has the advantage.