Emotional contrast highlighted between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc after Imola

Sky Sports F1 commentator Harry Benjamin highlighted the stark emotional contrast between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc following the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Ferrari hit back from a double Q2 elimination to come away with two cars finishing inside the top six.

Hamilton scored his best result of the 2025 F1 season, finishing fourth.

Leclerc finished sixth after the timing of the Virtual Safety Car and Safety Car didn’t play into his hands.

After the race, Hamilton was positive about the progress he’s made in recent races.

On the other hand, Leclerc was dejected by Ferrari’s lack of performance relative to McLaren and Red Bull.

Speaking on the latest episode of the Sky F1 podcast, Benjamin noticed a clear difference between Hamilton and Leclerc.

“I think he will be buoyed by that and optimistic and take that forward,” Benjamin said.

“I think Hamilton is happier, especially after Miami actually where we had all those amazing bits of team radio and you think he’d be absolutely fuming after the race but he wasn’t. He was fairly chipper but that’s what he alluded to. I think he’s just quite happy with the fact he’s closing that gap and on par with Charles Leclerc in terms of outright pace in that Ferrari.

“The next problem will be now they need to make that car back into a podium or race-winning challenger. That’s where Hamilton is taking his confidence from at the moment.

“Charles Leclerc seems incredibly despondent - the complete opposite side of the spectrum compared to Hamilton. Bringing that kind of energy isn’t going to help Leclerc at his home weekend either for Monaco.”

Ferrari’s disappointing 2025 season

Ferrari finished last year as McLaren’s closest challenger, finishing just 14 points off in the constructors’ championship.

This year, Ferrari are already 165 points off after just seven races.

The Scuderia have just one podium to their name, with Leclerc finishing third in Saudi Arabia.

While low-speed performance was their strength last year, allowing Leclerc to win his home race in Monaco, it’s been a weakness in 2025.

Assessing Ferrari as a whole, Benjamin added: “It’s a bit erratic from Ferrari in terms of the car they’ve brought this year.They were good in slow-speed last year and a twist of fate, and it’s changed up again.

“They’re trying to maybe pin a bit on this technical directive change for Spain but come on. It’s not what Ferrari should be doing. At the end of last year, they were within a shot of the constructors’ championship with McLaren.

“They were theoretically the second-best team at the end of last year. They should have flown out the blocks at the beginning of the season like McLaren did.”