'Just as fast' as Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc has been hindered by Ferrari claims paddock veteran

Paddock veteran Frits van Amersfoort claimed that Charles Leclerc is as fast as Max Verstappen but has been hampered by Ferrari because it doesn't put the drivers first. The Monagasque driver has been a part of the Italian squad since 2019. Since then, the driver has only once had a car that was potentially capable of fighting for the title.

In 2022, Ferrari appeared to have a strong grasp of the regulations, which led to a Charles Leclerc vs. Max Verstappen battle at the start of the season. It started positively for Leclerc, as he won two of the first three races. From that point onwards, things took a turn for the worse.

Ferrari continued to lack strategic acumen, which ended up hurting Leclerc in his battle with Verstappen. Ultimately, after the summer break, the driver was more or less out of contention for the title fight. To add to this, during his stint with the team, the Italian squad was plagued with internal politics where people were squabbling for power.

In terms of competing against Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc has shown impressive pace and racecraft whenever he's had a chance but those chances have been rare. Talking about the Monagasque driver, Frits van Amersfoort also identified the same thing as he told Motorsport:

“Ferrari is a political swamp. If you look at Red Bull; Max and the entire Verstappen clan have completely wrapped that team around them. That is simply not possible at Ferrari. I think this has also put a spanner in the works for Charles at times. Because I believe that Max and Charles are just as fast."

He added:

"Only Charles is at Ferrari. And Ferrari is Ferrari. There, the team is always more important than the driver. And that is a bit of a shame for Charles. But hey, you still drive for the most famous brand in the world.”

Charles Leclerc's new teammate Lewis Hamilton would excel at Ferrari compared to Mercedes

Frits van Amersfoort also felt that Charles Leclerc's new teammate Lewis Hamilton should excel at Ferrari's emotional atmosphere compared to the metronomic nature in which Toto Wolff runs Mercedes. Hamilton did struggle a bit at the German team in 2024 and was outperformed by George Russell as well.

Expecting a better fortune for the Brit, the paddock veteran said:

“Lewis will be in a warmer and more emotional bath at Ferrari. And since Lewis is a man who has to rely on emotion, which his extravagant way of dressing also shows, he and Ferrari might be a very good match. I don’t know exactly what the relationship between Fred and Lewis is, but it might turn out to be very important. After all, motorsport remains human work."

He added:

“I’m speculating a bit, but it’s possible that this plays a huge role mentally for Lewis. At Mercedes, it’s a bit like Toto’s. And although Wolff is not German, he does show some German traits. I know Fred a bit better. He’s a bit more relaxed and that might suit Lewis well.”

Charles Leclerc will face his career's biggest challenge in Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari this season. How he fares against the 7x world champion could help define how he's perceived on the grid in terms of his driving ability.