Charles Leclerc sent clear Ferrari warning after Lewis Hamilton announcement
Ferrari star Charles Leclerc has been sent a clear warning relating to teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Ever since leaving Mercedes for Ferrari prior to the 2025 season, seven-time world champion Hamilton has struggled to produce his best.
Despite winning the sprint race during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend in Shanghai, the Brit has largely failed to adapt to the problematic SF-25.
Currently, the 40-year-old is sixth in the Formula 1 standings with 109 points, 42 points adrift of Monegasque Leclerc.
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Last weekend, Hamilton cut a dejected figure as he told Ferrari to replace him after he endured a tough qualifying session at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
He said: "I'm useless, absolutely useless.
"The team has no problem, you've seen the car on pole so they probably need to change driver."
Prior to the race weekend in Hungary, Hamilton teased on social media that an announcement was being made on August 8, which led to fans thinking the worst.
On the back of Hamilton's 'useless' comments, some F1 fans thought Hamilton could do the unthinkable and announce his retirement.
However, on Friday, fears were eased as Hamilton confirmed the launch of a new non-alcoholic spirit from Almave, the company he co-founded.
Looking ahead, former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has warned Leclerc that his life will get harder with Hamilton sticking around.
As reported by Planet F1, the ex-McLaren driver told AS Colombia: "What’s really happening is that Lewis is at a point where he wants to beat his team-mate. He’s putting in huge effort.
"Working very hard, but the car isn’t to his liking. The engineers are starting to understand, but they still don’t fully grasp how difficult this car is to drive."
Montoya added: "Charles looks very quick because he can handle the car’s behaviour. I think that as Ferrari adjusts the car more to Lewis’s style and he gets comfortable, life will get harder for Charles. So far, it hasn’t been too tough for him, but we’ll see."
F1 will return at the end of the month with the Dutch Grand Prix, which will take place at the Circuit Zandvoort.
Topics: Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1, Ferrari
Marcus Chan