Charles Leclerc Firmly Denies Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton Hype

Charles Leclerc has dismissed suggestions that Ferrari entered the 2025 Formula 1 season with too much confidence. Much of the high expectations for Ferrari came after the major signing of Lewis Hamilton, who joined the team following twelve years at Mercedes.

Many believed Hamilton’s arrival in Maranello would push Ferrari into a strong championship battle. Last year, Ferrari finished just 14 points behind McLaren in the constructors’ standings, fueling the belief that the team would take another step forward.

Despite these hopes, the season has not played out as planned for Ferrari. After eight rounds, Ferrari sits 177 points behind McLaren in the constructors’ championship.

This is a significant change compared to the same point in the 2024 season, when Ferrari led McLaren by 68 points. The team faced further setbacks in China, where both cars were disqualified.

Without that incident, Ferrari would be sitting in second place, just five points adrift of Mercedes, with 160 points to their name. Leclerc explained that the excitement surrounding Hamilton’s move had a big impact on the team’s image.

“I don’t think we were over-confident, I think there was a lot of hype around the team at the beginning of the season,” Leclerc said during media interviews. He pointed out that much of the talk was not in their control, but rather a result of a superstar joining their ranks.

Leclerc said there were a lot of hopes throughout the paddock, and even within the team itself, that Ferrari could start the year where they left off in 2024. On track, the team’s SF-25 car has struggled to match the pace of its rivals.

Hamilton has had difficulty adapting, while Leclerc recently secured Ferrari’s best result of the season with second place in Monaco. Even so, Leclerc rejected the idea that Ferrari was too optimistic in preseason, stating the team has always focused on itself and recognized it had more work to do.

He admitted that Ferrari has not been strong enough in the first part of the year and suggested that changes for 2026 could bring a new starting point. Leclerc remained positive about the future, noting that each season brings fresh challenges.

He believes that the improvements planned for next year’s car will address this season’s shortcomings. “I’ll be very surprised if we have the same issues next year because the car should be in a very different place,” Leclerc said.

He insisted the current focus remains on improving as quickly as possible, emphasizing the importance of learning from this year’s performance. Ferrari’s fight for second in the constructors’ championship is still alive, with the team just five points behind Mercedes.

McLaren, meanwhile, leads the way with 319 points, well ahead in the standings. The Spanish Grand Prix marks the ninth race of the year as teams look for answers and opportunities to close the gap at the front, especially with new aerodynamic updates like the F1 flexi wing.

The Ferrari camp is determined to find improvements, with both drivers and staff committed to turning their season around. As attention shifts to the summer rounds, Leclerc and Ferrari are focused on maximizing results and keeping the contest alive.