Juan Pablo Montoya sees a ‘good lesson’ in Lewis Hamilton making Charles Leclerc’s ‘life difficult’

Follow us on Google Discover

Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has urged Charles Leclerc to take a ‘good lesson’ away from Lewis Hamilton making his ‘life difficult’ on recent F1 race weekends.

The seven-time Formula 1 world champion has been in the best form of his career so far at Ferrari in recent months. After taking his maiden podium in red at the Chinese GP, Hamilton has enjoyed three further trips to the rostrum, including a famous win in Barcelona.

If Charles Leclerc wasn’t a Ferrari driver, which F1 team would you like to see him at?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

Leclerc, on the other hand, has thoroughly struggled to match his teammate’s pace. In the last four Grands Prix, the 28-year-old has played second fiddle to his more experienced counterpart, which is a stark contrast from their first year together in 2025.

His form has led many to believe that Hamilton has now broken the ‘vicious cycle’ that Leclerc has created at Ferrari in recent years in regards to setting the car up for success on a weekly basis.

Thus, F1 pundit Juan Pablo Montoya believes Leclerc can take a ‘good lesson’ away from his struggles alongside the 106-time Grand Prix winner as he endures a tough run of form.

• READ MORE: Damon Hill suspects Lewis Hamilton is stealing all Charles Leclerc’s ‘mates’ inside Ferrari

Juan Pablo Montoya thinks Lewis Hamilton’s purple patch is giving Charles Leclerc a ‘good lesson’

During a recent episode of the MontoyAS podcast, Montoya was asked for his thoughts on Leclerc’s regression over recent race weekends.

What would Lewis Hamilton beating Charles Leclerc at 41 do for his F1 legacy?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

The Colombian outlined the Monegasque driver’s impressive form over Hamilton last year as a big surprise, specifically noting that Leclerc may not have expected such a turnaround from his teammate this year.

“I think one of the trickiest things is that when Leclerc was about to go up against Hamilton, he thought beating him was going to be very difficult,” Montoya began. “Then, he beat Hamilton very easily, and didn’t expect Hamilton to improve so much and become so good.”

Now, Montoya believes Hamilton’s ability to secure Ferrari’s first F1 victory in their latest 34 attempts has made life somewhat difficult for the Scuderia’s long-time number one driver.

“What Hamilton did just now took Leclerc by surprise and made life difficult for him,” he continued. “When Leclerc was giving 100 per cent, that 100 per cent was good enough to beat Hamilton. Now, even at 100 per cent, he’s not quite good enough to beat him.

“That’s a problem. At this stage, what he needs to do is make the most of having Hamilton around and understand what Hamilton did. He’s been in teams where they tell him what to do, and he delivers excellent results by making the most of whatever he is given.

• READ MORE: Guenther Steiner says ‘clever’ Charles Leclerc will now jump on the Lewis Hamilton ‘bandwagon’

“I’ve always pointed out the difference. Back when I was really good, I started adapting the car to suit my liking. When you’re comfortable in the car, you go faster.

“There’s no mystery to it. A lot of drivers grow up with the mentality of, ‘this is the way you have to drive,’ so they learn to manage it and become very good at driving whatever they are given.

“But if your teammate is comfortable with the development of the car and you are not, the one who is comfortable is going to beat you. I think that’s a good lesson for Leclerc.”