Charles Leclerc came to the defense of Lewis Hamilton following a disappointing Hungarian Grand Prix, which proved challenging in different ways for both Ferrari drivers.
At the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton endured one of the most difficult weekends since joining Scuderia Ferrari, and possibly one of the toughest of his entire Formula 1 career. Meanwhile, his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc secured pole position and was in contention for the victory during the first two-thirds of the race. Hamilton, on the other hand, failed to advance into Q3 during qualifying, struggled through the race from the midfield, and ultimately finished outside the points.
Lewis Hamilton is currently experiencing one of the most challenging phases of his Formula 1 career. However, he can rely on the support of his teammate Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver reiterated his team spirit as early as the Belgian Grand Prix, emphasizing that his goal is not to beat Lewis Hamilton, but rather to help bring Ferrari back to the top of the sport.
Over the last two race weekends, the performance gap between the two Ferrari drivers has widened further. Hamilton struggled in qualifying, regularly finishing outside the top ten, while Charles Leclerc consistently started from the front rows, highlighted by his pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The only encouraging sign for Lewis Hamilton in recent races came at the Belgian GP in Spa, where he was able to benefit from a higher downforce setup during the early, wet stages of the race. In Hungary, however, he finished outside the points and appeared more deflated than ever, even suggesting that Ferrari might consider finding another driver.
Despite the disappointment of missing out on victory in Hungary, when asked about Hamilton’s difficult moment, Charles Leclerc reaffirmed that his priority is the success of the team and expressed confidence that Lewis Hamilton will recover. “In the end, we are a team, and as much as I want to finish ahead of Lewis, I want both of us to succeed and for Ferrari to succeed,” the Monegasque driver said.
“Obviously, this weekend was tough for Lewis, but I have no doubt that it is an isolated case, and I am sure the second half of the season will be much more positive. I don’t believe we will face the rest of the season thinking we can win every race, and that’s exactly what makes the frustration even greater,” admitted Charles Leclerc.
“We knew this was probably one of the few chances we’d have all year and we had to seize it, but unfortunately with this problem, there wasn’t much we could do.”
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