Ralf Schumacher rules out crucial Lewis Hamilton factor which could explain Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari advantage

Few driver moves in Formula 1 history have been more closely watched and studied than Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari.

It felt like the perfect move for Lewis Hamilton in what’s likely to be his final team change as he entered his 18th season in the sport.

Hamilton is the most successful driver in the history of Formula 1 with more than 100 wins to his name, while Ferrari have an unprecedented record in the drivers’ and constructors’ championship.

However, Ferrari haven’t tasted success since Hamilton’s first championship-winning year in 2008 and this season is on course to be another gruelling campaign for Fred Vasseur’s outfit.

With less testing than ever before and the most intense schedule in the sport’s history, starting on the back foot isn’t recommended with so few opportunities to work out what’s going wrong and how to fix it.

Ferrari’s major update package last season will also serve as a warning as it set the team back in their development rather than propelling them forward.

Hamilton is lacking confidence in the car, but former F1 star Ralf Schumacher has now ruled out one reason why he might not be on the same level as teammate Charles Leclerc this season.

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Ralf Schumacher says Lewis Hamilton’s age doesn’t explain his issues at Ferrari this season

Schumacher was talking on the Backstage Boxengasse Podcast about the difference in speed between teammates at Monaco.

He was initially referring to Oscar Piastri being a step behind Lando Norris at McLaren but went on to explain: “You really have to feel 100% comfortable and even if one teammate has it, we’ve seen it over the years, including with Michael [Schumacher], who won there often.

“But if there was a year when the car just didn’t want to, then it just doesn’t work.

“This is just one of those tracks when you don’t feel comfortable when you can’t find the same setup as your teammate, so you have to be careful.

“Piastri, for example, was weaker than Norris for the whole time this weekend and had a hard time and we suspected that the pressure on Norris was high.

“The cool Piastri would simply drive off and it was exactly the other way around.

“[The] same thing happened to Lewis Hamilton, I heard voices saying, ‘Yes, you can see that he’s just too old now.’

“No, that doesn’t have to be the case, because if he’s not happy with the car, it will be even harder for him.

“And I have to say, he’s worked his way up, but Charles Leclerc is, of course, very strong at Monaco.

“I mean, if you go to school there and walk the streets there as a child, that certainly makes a difference.”

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Charles Leclerc has established a ‘deficit’ to Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari this season

Hamilton was always going to initially be on the back foot this season compared to Leclerc given how different Ferrari’s car is to the Mercedes he’s used to driving.

It’s the first time in his career he’s raced in a car with a Ferrari engine, and Hamilton took time to get used to the different brakes the team use.

The margins are smaller than ever on the grid this season, meaning even the smallest hesitation going into a corner or getting on the throttle can cost a driver a grid place in qualifying.

Bernie Collins spotted a deficit between Leclerc and Hamilton in Saudi Arabia, where the seven-time world champion didn’t look like he could quite push the cars to their limits on the street circuit.

The smallest error would have ended his session and his Monegasque teammate’s years of added experience proved vital in that scenario.

A similar situation played out in Monaco, but Hamilton now has time before the next street race to continue building that confidence up.