Juan Pablo Montoya warned Ferrari that prioritizing the comfort of Lewis Hamilton could alienate Charles Leclerc.
Ferrari endured a disappointing start to the 2025 F1 season.
Neither Leclerc nor Hamilton finished on the podium in any of the four opening races.
The only highlight of Ferrari was Hamilton’s sprint race victory in Shanghai.
In terms of teammates, Leclerc tended to be faster out of two Ferraris, but it’s not too surprising given what Hamilton is new to the team.
To help Hamilton in the adaptation process, Ferrari boss Frederick Vasser said he will try to make changes to ensure that the seven-time world champion is more “comfortable.”
Montoya believes that focusing on Hamilton could cause problems with Leclair and Ferrari in the long run.
“Lewis Hamilton beats himself because he’s not performing, but he’s not comfortable,” Montoya told Plejmo. “I think everyone is working hard to make him feel comfortable, but as a result, if they’re really focused on making Lewis comfortable, they’ll have problems with Charles in the long run.
“Look at Max. Max is really, really fast, his teammates are miles away. When his teammates are nearby, they’re not that fast. They’re not competitive.
“Look at Checo. Two years ago, when Checo started the season so well, people thought that two drivers were fighting for the championship.
“I think Ferrari might go through the same thing. They’ll all compromise Charles’ performance in order to help them develop a car for Lewis and make him feel comfortable.
Montoya tells Leclerc to “learn” from Hamilton
Leclerc is still waiting for his first serious F1 title challenge.
Leclerc challenged Verstappen in the first half of 2022.
However, even before the infamous technical command that cut back on the 2022 Ferrari season, the combination of driver error and Ferrari branders left Leclerc out of the title fight.
It appears Leclerc will have to wait until 2026 to get the chance to fight for the title.
Montoya believes that during this time Leclerc can learn a lot from Hamilton.
“I think Charles has a great opportunity to learn from Lewis,” added Montoya.
“I think he can learn a lot from Lewis, even if he gets closer to Lewis. Charles already does a really good job, but I think he can learn a lot from Lewis.
“And I think if he’s smart about it, he’ll actually end up being a Ferrari who can win the championship.”