Lewis Hamilton will want to hear what Charles Leclerc told his Ferrari engineers during the Japanese Grand Prix

Things aren’t going smoothly at Ferrari this season, with both championships quickly slipping out of reach for their drivers.

Lewis Hamilton arrived at Ferrari hoping to add a historic eighth drivers’ championship to his CV after 12 seasons racing for Mercedes.

In his way stood both McLaren drivers, Red Bull star and reigning champion Max Verstappen, and his new teammate Charles Leclerc.

The Monegasque driver’s best season in Formula 1 statistically saw him finish runner-up to Verstappen in 2022, but fans will agree that Leclerc was in the best form of his career at the end of last year.

All of this would have encouraged team principal Fred Vasseur as he looked to end Ferrari’s wait for a title, but so far, that’s not gone to plan.

Hamilton’s Sprint Race victory in China is the outlier this season, when a perfect qualifying lap and the free air in the resulting race meant that even Verstappen and the surging Oscar Piastri couldn’t catch him.

However, just 24 hours later, both Ferraris were disqualified for different reasons for the first time in the team’s history, and although both drivers scored points at the Japanese Grand Prix, it’s hard to consider the race at Suzuka a success.

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

Charles Leclerc’s rallying cry to Ferrari engineers during the Japanese Grand Prix

Qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix saw Verstappen produce one of the best laps of his career to pip both McLaren drivers to pole position.

The track layout at Suzuka, alongside the difficulty in following another car in dirty air, meant Verstappen was able to hold off the superior McLarens to take his first victory of the season.

Leclerc qualified fourth, with Hamilton down in P8 after the pair deviated in their set-ups after practice.

Hamilton complained of a deficit after the race, after managing to make up a single position by overtaking Isack Hadjar.

Meanwhile, a report from Corriere dello Sport has shared how Leclerc reacted after qualifying to his inability to challenge for pole position.

Leclerc hasn’t been happy with the performance of his Ferrari since pre-season, and ahead of the race, told his top engineers, ‘That’s it, I’m going my own way.’

The direction Leclerc headed in with his set-up turned out to be the correct one, but that doesn’t necessarily mean everything is going smoothly behind the scenes at Ferrari.

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

Charles Leclerc and Nico Rosberg disagree over Ferrari development direction

Vasseur has had an overall positive impact on Ferrari since becoming team principal, creating more harmony with the outfit and improving their decision-making both during Grand Prix weekends and away from the track.

However, Vasseur and Leclerc disagree on the immediate direction Ferrari need to go in with the SF-25.

Vasseur is of the opinion that the car is capable of challenging McLaren, but a solution needs to be found to their balance issues.

Leclerc, on the other hand, is adamant that changes to the car are required and is pushing for an update package that includes a new floor to be installed ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

It will be fascinating to see which direction they go in, with short-term wins becoming more and more tempting with a new regulation set on the horizon in 2026.

Hamilton, meanwhile, will be keeping a close eye on what Leclerc is doing in the other garage.

He may not have achieved the same level of success in Formula 1, but he has far more experience when it comes to working with Ferrari and getting the most out of their cars.