Lewis Hamilton facing same Ferrari challenge as Sebastian Vettel, says Francesco Cigarini. Francesco Cigarini compared Lewis Hamilton’s struggles against Charles Leclerc at Ferrari to the same difficulties once faced by Sebastian Vettel.

Francesco Cigarini spoke on the television program Race Anatomy about the difficulties that Lewis Hamilton is currently experiencing in his internal battle with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, comparing them to the same struggles once faced by Sebastian Vettel.

The hypothesis of Francesco Cigarini
The former Ferrari mechatronics engineer offered his analysis by recalling that Charles Leclerc, even during the period when Sebastian Vettel was his teammate, has always preferred a car with a very “pointed” setup, meaning with an extremely responsive front end.

According to Cigarini, this driving preference translates into leaving the rear of the car very loose, which requires great sensitivity and precision behind the wheel in order to keep it under control. It is a style that suits Leclerc’s natural talent and aggressiveness, but it makes the car more unstable and difficult to drive consistently for others.

When Sebastian Vettel attempted to replicate these setups used by Charles Leclerc, trying to achieve the same performance levels, he often ended up spinning or making costly mistakes. This exposed his struggles and gave the impression of being unable to handle a car that was tailored to his teammate’s style, something that Francesco Cigarini described as making him look “like a rookie.”

Francesco Cigarini suggested that Lewis Hamilton might now be going through the very same scenario at Ferrari. He added that he would not be surprised if Hamilton were in frequent contact with Sebastian Vettel, seeking advice and comparisons in order to overcome the complex situation he currently finds himself in during this first season alongside Charles Leclerc.

As journalist Leo Turrini has repeatedly underlined, Charles Leclerc effectively “retired Sebastian Vettel.” More precisely, by consistently securing far stronger results and outperforming him on track, Charles Leclerc made it clear that it was time for Vettel to look elsewhere, a process that eventually led the German driver to retire from Formula 1 at the end of the 2022 season.

The big question that now remains open is how this story will end for Lewis Hamilton. Will Charles Leclerc manage to impose himself once again as he did with Sebastian Vettel, or will Hamilton find a way to adapt and fight back to prove his worth inside Ferrari?