Lewis Hamilton tipped to “push Ferrari in the right direction” as Charles Leclerc dynamic praised
“I think Lewis with his experience is going to be really vital to push Ferrari in the right direction and to try and win a championship with them.”
Former racing driver Billy Monger has backed Lewis Hamilton to lead Ferrari “in the right direction” following a tough start to the 2025 F1 season.
Hamilton has yet to finish on the podium for Ferrari in a grand prix so far this year.
It’s his longest stretch without a top three finish in his F1 career.
Ferrari have failed to give their drivers a title-contending car.
Charles Leclerc has finished on the podium four times this year but he’s not taken pole or stood on the top step just yet.
Speaking during FP2 at Silverstone, Monger called for Ferrari to listen to Hamilton’s feedback when it comes to car development.
“Given Ferrari finished just 14 points off behind McLaren in the F1 constructors’
Lewis is so experienced in the world of Formula One,” Monger said.
“He knows when an update turns up on the car, whether it's going in the right direction or not.
“And actually, you know last season and before that with Mercedes, there was all those sort of conversations where Lewis was trying to push the team in [a] direction with the car, the team were pushing back against Lewis and they didn't exactly make loads of progress.”
Hamilton-Leclerc dynamic praised
Monger also thinks the Hamilton-Leclerc dynamic is good for Ferrari.
Even if Lewis Hamilton lacks the outright pace, Monger feels that Leclerc will benefit from the seven-time world champion’s input.
Leclerc has not mounted a serious title charge since joining Ferrari at the start of 2019.
Ferrari started 2022 with the fastest car, but poor reliability and strategy errors meant Max Verstappen ran away with the title.
In recent years, Ferrari have struggled to produce a car that can perform well in qualifying and the race.
In 2023, Ferrari could take regular poles at the end of the year but fell back due to excessive tyre wear.
It was the complete opposite in 2024.
“I think Lewis with his experience is going to be really vital to push Ferrari in the right direction and to try and win a championship with them,” Monger added.
“Even if it's not himself, if he doesn't have that raw pace Charles Leclerc and him I think that that team mate dynamic they've got there is really impressive.”
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