Lewis Hamilton has denied harbouring concerns about the noticeable contrast in results to Charles Leclerc during his debut Formula 1 campaign with Ferrari in 2025.
Hamilton endured his worst-ever intra-team loss this season as he wound up 86 points behind Leclerc, who out-raced his new Ferrari team-mate 18 times in 21 races.
And while Hamilton was the one who produced Ferrari’s standalone win in the Sprint Race in China in April, Leclerc secured all seven podiums that the team achieved.
The adaptation to a new side, coupled with Ferrari delivering a capricious 2025 car, exacerbated the struggles that Hamilton experienced during the ground-effect era.
But with new regulations on the horizon in 2026, the Briton isn’t worried about how he stacked up relative to Leclerc during their opening season at the Italian marque.
“I’m not concerned about it,” Hamilton told media including Motorsport Week. “No. Of course, I’ve just been focusing on my side during this period.
“Obviously, Charles has done a great job. He’s been there for seven years. He’s got a team around him that he’s worked with for many years. So, it’s a well-oiled machine.
“On my side, it’s a new group of people. For me, it’s a new environment that I’m still getting used to working with. Then I had another new member halfway through the year.
“So, we’re all working as hard as we can, but getting that to work as well as someone that’s had it for several years is not… you don’t just do it like that. It takes a bit of time.”
Leclerc predicts tougher Hamilton test to come
Ferrari’s competitive regression ensured Leclerc’s dominance over Hamilton meant little, and the Monegasque is envisaging a tougher internal challenge next season.
“Yeah, I think Lewis has always been extremely motivated,” he observed.
“It’s been a tough end of the season for Lewis, but for the team in general, as the car has been tougher and tougher to drive, but I’m sure we’ll all be back next year.”
READ MORE – Lewis Hamilton clarifies ‘not looking forward to 2026’ remark
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