Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Charles Leclerc diverted a direct comparison when asked if his driving style was more aligned with Lewis Hamilton or former teammate Carlos Sainz. Speaking in the media, including Sportskeeda, Ferrari's driver suggested that driving styles were not the most crucial factor in developing a car, and emphasized the importance of having similar demands for machinery.
Although there have been speculations that Leclerc and Sainz shared a more compatible driving style, making the car development easier, Hamilton is known for a different approach, especially with its late braking technique, which has not always translated without problems in the time of the modern F1 machinery.
Answering Sportskeeda's question, Leclerc avoided direct comparisons with Sainz. However, he said that despite the theoretical differences, he and Hamilton have shared expectations from the car. He also said that both drivers have an aggressive style when it comes to corner inputs, suggesting that the Hamilton approach can be more similar to what was initially expected.
Asked by Sportskeeda if his driving style was more similar to that of Sainz than Hamilton, Charles Leclerc said:
“I mean, first, I see a lot of things around, most of the time, that driving style is very important. I feel that you have more than enough freedom in the configuration of the car to adapt a car in the driving style of someone so that it does not change much.”
“ As I said, it is always a little more useful to be pressing in the same direction because we need the same car and, as I said with Lewis, I was very surprised by the resemblance to the corners at the corner entrance. I do not want to make a particular comparison with other drivers, but when Lewis did not expect me. And we are both quite aggressive at the entrance to the corner.
Charles Leclerc confirms that Ferrari has converged the configuration of the two drivers
Charles Leclerc also revealed that he and his teammate Lewis Hamilton have begun to converge in similar car configurations, marking a change in the first races of the season. Ferrari's controller shared that, while the couple had experienced with dramatically different configurations in the opening rounds, they have aligned their approaches from the Bahrain GP.
Leclerc rejected the suggestions that the two pursued separate development directions, giving rise to different actions in the same machinery. Instead, he emphasized that both he and Hamilton share similar demands of the car, making it easier for the team to adjust the performance and extract consistent results. Convergence, according to him, is a positive sign for Ferrari, as it rationalizes the team's development route.
Asked if both Ferrari drivers had adopted different configuration indications for the car, Charles Leclerc said:
“No, this is something we converged a little more, especially since the last weekend.
Charles Leclerc has kept his superior hand on Lewis Hamilton to qualify for the first four weekends of the 2025 season. While Hamilton managed to qualify and overcome his teammate in the shooting and the Sprint race in China, the seventh world champion has largely focused on adapting to the tools, systems and philosophies of engineering in Ferrari in his first season.
Leclerc, which appears more in tune with the car at this stage, has scored 32 points and is currently in fifth place in the Pilots Championship. In the meantime, Hamilton has accumulated 25 points and is seventh.
Ferrari is in fourth place in the builders classification with a combined total of 57 points, a figure that could have been higher if it were not for Charles Leclerc and the double disqualification of Lewis Hamilton in China. Despite the early deficit, the team seems to increase the impulse, as the two drivers continue to perfect their configurations and extract more performance from the SF-25.
Edited by TUSHAR BAHL
