Lewis Hamilton has identified a key area where Charles Leclerc beats him this season. Ahead of the Miami GP, he stated that Leclerc is faster in medium and high-speed corners, while his pace is slow, likely causing the deficit in performance.
The Brit's promising jump to Ferrari this year hasn't been smooth. In five races, he has consistently fallen behind his teammate Leclerc. In 2024, he lost 19 of the 24 qualifying sessions to former Mercedes teammate George Russell. Moreover, in 2025, his qualifying form hasn't improved, as Leclerc outperformed him in the opening five races. He also finished 30 seconds ahead of Hamilton in the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, clinching P3.
Meanwhile, before the Miami Grand Prix, the 40-year-old opined that the Monegasque's experience and familiarity with Ferrari's car are his biggest advantages. Moreover, he claimed that, according to data, Leclerc is quicker in corners, whereas he lacks confidence. These factors, combined with setups, contribute to the performance deficit between the two Ferrari teammates, he said, talking to the media, including Sportskeeda:
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"He’s been driving this car for a long time, so he definitely knows it really well. There’s plenty in the data, for sure. I mean, honestly, like, it doesn’t look massively different in the data. Just, I go slower through the corners. We do have slightly different setups. I have to look and see whether that setup is the way the car likes to be. Yeah, he and his side are definitely obviously doing a better job.”
Interestingly, Lewis Hamilton appeared underconfident for the Miami Grand Prix, as he expected his struggles with the car to continue. While acknowledging the journey as painful, he promised to work hard to find solutions.
Guenther Steiner is concerned about Lewis Hamilton's decline at Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari stint has so far been disappointing, as he has had no significant positives to take from the opening five races of the 2025 season. Moreover, Guenther Steiner believes his performance gap to Charles Leclerc is becoming a cause of concern.
Talking to the Red Flags podcast, the former Haas F1 team principal said:
"Hamilton’s gap to Leclerc is cause for concern. I’m more concerned about what he thinks about when he’s asking about where I lost time, and then, ‘Jeez,’ it’s like, yeah, the engineer can tell you where you’re losing the time, but he cannot make you understand why you’re losing it. That’s down to you. And the worst thing would be if Lewis is losing his confidence, because then it will be a backwards race."
Hamilton appeared downbeat after the Saudi Arabian GP. After a P7 finish, he stated that his situation and struggles will likely stay the same for the rest of the year, which triggered a big debate among fans.
