Charles Leclerc’s Silverstone breakthrough earns praise from Juan Pablo Montoya despite muted reaction to Ferrari victory
Charles Leclerc’s victory at the British Grand Prix may have ended Ferrari’s long wait for another Formula 1 win, but former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes the most impressive part of the weekend was not the triumph itself. Instead, the Colombian pointed to the remarkable turnaround engineered by Charles Leclerc and Ferrari after a difficult start to the Silverstone weekend.
Ferrari initially appeared to be heading for another race in which Lewis Hamilton would hold the upper hand. Lewis Hamilton produced a superb performance to secure pole position for the Sprint at Silverstone, reinforcing the momentum he had built over the previous rounds and leaving Charles Leclerc once again searching for answers during Friday’s running.
However, the balance of power inside Ferrari shifted dramatically after the Sprint. Charles Leclerc worked closely with his engineers to transform the handling of the SF-26, allowing him to regain confidence in the car. The changes paid immediate dividends as the Monegasque outqualified Lewis Hamilton for the second consecutive Grand Prix before converting that pace into his first Formula 1 victory since the closing stages of the 2024 season.
The impressive turnaround attracted widespread attention throughout the Formula 1 paddock. Analysts highlighted the scale of the improvement achieved in less than 24 hours, with many viewing Silverstone as one of Charles Leclerc’s strongest recovery performances in recent years.
Juan Pablo Montoya believes Ferrari’s overnight improvement was the real story
Following qualifying, Charles Leclerc explained that he had spent much of Friday evening carefully studying telemetry and onboard data to identify where Lewis Hamilton had been extracting more performance. Rather than simply adopting his teammate’s setup, Charles Leclerc relied on his own driving instincts and worked with Ferrari engineers to develop a configuration that better suited his natural style behind the wheel.
That decision proved decisive. By trusting his own feedback instead of replicating Lewis Hamilton’s setup, Charles Leclerc found a much stronger balance, enabling him to unlock the pace that had been missing earlier in the weekend.
Speaking to AS Colombia, Juan Pablo Montoya indicated that while Charles Leclerc winning the race did not surprise him, the speed with which Ferrari and the driver managed to solve their performance issues deserved far greater recognition. According to the former Williams and McLaren driver, the remarkable aspect of the weekend was Ferrari’s ability to understand the underlying problems, completely rethink its approach and move away from the direction that had initially been shared with Lewis Hamilton.
Juan Pablo Montoya also suggested that Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli had looked like the strongest contender for victory before circumstances changed the complexion of the race. In his assessment, Antonelli appeared to possess the necessary pace, race strategy and overall package to comfortably challenge for the win.
Can Charles Leclerc carry his Ferrari momentum into Spa?
Although the Silverstone victory represented an important milestone, Charles Leclerc has already made it clear that the true test will come over the next phase of the Formula 1 season. The Ferrari driver is eager to discover whether the team’s improved competitiveness was the result of genuine progress with the SF-26 or simply a consequence of Silverstone’s layout playing to the car’s strengths.
The upcoming Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps could provide those answers. Widely regarded as one of Formula 1’s most demanding circuits, Spa combines high-speed corners, significant elevation changes and long straights that place every aspect of a car under pressure. It therefore offers Ferrari another valuable opportunity to demonstrate that its recent gains are sustainable.
If Charles Leclerc can once again challenge at the front against rivals including Lewis Hamilton’s fellow frontrunners, Ferrari will have stronger evidence that the development direction chosen after Silverstone represents genuine progress rather than an isolated success. Such a result would further strengthen Ferrari’s position in the championship battle and reinforce confidence that Charles Leclerc has rediscovered the consistency required to compete regularly for victories during the remainder of the Formula 1 campaign.
Leave a Reply