Lewis Hamilton faces a ‘big problem’ at Ferrari as latest request goes against Charles Leclerc feedback

Before the start of the 2025 Formula 1 season, many considered Ferrari to have the strongest driver line-up on the grid.

Charles Leclerc has been part of the Ferrari set-up for more than half of his life after joining their academy and understands the team better than most drivers who have ever raced for the Scuderia.

He’s been joined by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton who would love to finish his F1 career with at least one more title driving for the most historic team in the sport’s history.

Hamilton was positive about his chances during pre-season, after his final few years at Mercedes being tricky, to say the least.

Leclerc was less positive about Ferrari’s 2025 F1 car but has since taken a step forward after the team delivered their first floor update of the year.

The Monegasque driver now has a podium finish to his name, but Hamilton was disconsolate after the race in Saudi Arabia as he struggled to P7.

What will be more concerning for team principal Fred Vasseur than Hamilton’s slow start to the campaign is his feedback.

It appears as though he’s not in line with Leclerc on what needs to be done to extract the maximum out of the SF-25.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Lewis Hamilton asking for opposite wing adjustment to Charles Leclerc

Journalist Roberto Chinchero was speaking on the James Allen on F1 Podcast about the fortunes of both of Ferrari’s drivers.

He noted that Leclerc keeps asking for more front wing from the team every time he enters the pits, but noticed a very different message from Hamilton.

He explained, “The question that many people are asking is what happens when it comes to the races?

“That is the point, I mentioned before that Leclerc asked for more front wing every time comes in the pits.

“Well, he is asking for less. That means that the feeling that Lewis is having with this car, especially in braking and the cornering, is not the one he needs to have, it’s not the one he needs to be fast.

“And I think he tried with his engineer, all the possible options that the setup can offer. But it’s not enough.

“He needs something different in the car and the question now is if Ferrari can afford the development of the car considering this problem, every update normally has the target to improve the performance.

“It’s not easy to ask the team to consider the drivability, especially when you see that the other driver is performing much faster.

“So at the moment, it’s not easy to see a solution, and I agree with Lewis, it’s not easy to see the future at the moment.

“I really hope that he can change a little bit his driving style. But probably after 12 years in Mercedes, for him, it’s very difficult to change some basic instincts in his driving style.

“For Lewis to be some tenths behind Leclerc is a big, big problem.”

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

Ferrari suffering from 2025 F1 car design flaw impacting their qualifying efforts

One of the most noticeable differences between Hamilton and Leclerc is their performances in qualifying.

Leclerc is one of the fastest drivers over one lap on the grid, but the new teammate is the only driver in F1 history to record more than 100 pole positions.

However, the contrast between the two of them has been stark, with Hamilton only coming out on top in qualifying for the Sprint Race in China.

Ferrari may have discovered a design flaw that’s impacting them during qualifying, making Hamilton’s task even tougher.

The team need to discover why he’s asking to go in the opposite direction to Leclerc, otherwise, he’s going to get left behind the season.