Charles Leclerc reveals he’s started copying one thing Lewis Hamilton does after studying his Ferrari data

Charles Leclerc arrives at the Monaco Grand Prix with a comfortable lead in Ferrari’s head-to-head. But he’s only 12 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the championship.

Neither Ferrari driver is prioritising the intra-team battle right now. According to people in his circle, Hamilton isn’t concerned about beating Leclerc when the spoils are so underwhelming.

Likewise, Leclerc, who’s been with Ferrari since 2019, hasn’t derived any palpable satisfaction from outpacing the seven-time world champion. The priority for both drivers is turning the team into contenders again.

Leclerc leads the qualifying battle 6-1, though he fronted a desperately disappointing sixth-row lockout at Imola last weekend. He had a 100% record in the races until Hamilton used fresher tyres to pass him en route to fourth place.

The Monegasque has outscored Hamilton 57-39 in Grands Prix this year, but the Briton’s performance in the Sprints is keeping him close. His victory in China and podium in Miami puts him 14-4 up in the Saturday races.

Charles Leclerc shares what he’s learned from Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

In an interview with the Monaco Tribune ahead of his home race, Leclerc was asked what he’d gained from his nascent partnership with Hamilton. He’s previously raced alongside Sebastian Vettel (2019-20) and Carlos Sainz (2021-24) at Maranello.

Hamilton has often been the last driver to leave the circuit this year, and Leclerc has been impressed by that ‘discipline’. He’s also watched the 40-year-old closely in debriefs.

While they have ‘fairly similar’ styles regardless, Leclerc has been adopting some specific Hamilton techniques during the races. With the two drivers united in their feedback, the team can pursue a clear development direction.

“[I’ve learned] discipline and a way of working,” Leclerc said. “Carlos was a hard worker too, but Lewis is in a different way, and it’s really interesting to see the dynamics within the team.

“How does he handle problems? How does he comment on the car for development? It’s always interesting for drivers to be able to analyse how their team-mate works with his engineers.

“He’s extremely talented and has a very interesting driving style, which I sometimes use myself at certain points in the race if it’s the right thing to do. We both drive in a fairly similar way.

“We both push going into the bends. I think it’s quite positive for the team too, because we have a real, clear direction that we’re both pushing in.”

Has Fred Vasseur found a scapegoat for Ferrari’s problems?

‘No one’ at Ferrari is talking about the championship anymore – either the drivers’ or constructors’. Leclerc is 85 points behind Oscar Piastri, while the Scuderia are 165 adrift of McLaren.

The team entered the year as one of the favourites, if not the favourite, for both trophies. But that goal will have to be postponed to next year.

In what remains of 2025, Ferrari would likely settle for winning a couple of races. They haven’t gone a whole season without a victory since 2021.

One report this week claims Fred Vasseur is blaming Enrico Cardile, Ferrari’s former technical director, for this year’s handling ills. Aston Martin have signed the Italian engineer, though his old employers have delayed his start date.