Palmer: "I still put Leclerc between Verstappen and Hamilton"

Charles Leclerc is in a difficult phase at Ferrari's team. The puzzle pieces just do not seem to be falling into place at the Italian racing stable and the Monegasque. Last weekend, Leclerc crashed twice and drove a colourless Grand Prix in Miami. F1 analyst Jolyon Palmer is critical of the Ferrari driver, telling Formula1.com that he needs to take less risk at critical moments.

It is one of the worst season starts for Charles Leclerc at Ferrari's team with a paltry 34 points. He had a difficult start in Bahrain with technical problems, but then it was Leclerc himself who made frequent mistakes. Jolyon Palmer analyses the Monegasque's season. "I still think he is the fastest man in the field when it comes down to one lap, and he showed that with his brilliant double pole in Baku. Yet too often it ends in tears for the Monegasque driver. It always feels a bit needless for the team to see a driver crash in the practice long runs."

'I still put Leclerc between Verstappen and Hamilton'

The Ferrari driver will have to start pulling himself together for the next three Grands Prix, including his home race in Monaco. Even there, Leclerc has yet to finish the weekend as the winner on Sunday. Palmer continued: I’d still put Leclerc in the mix with Verstappen and Hamilton as one of the best drivers in the field. But what sets those two champions apart is their consistency."

On the edge from lap one

"Maybe they don’t have the last ounce of speed that Leclerc has, but they also make a fraction of the mistakes, and when it comes down to putting together a sustained championship challenge that is what counts. I think it's a case of risk assessment for him. It seems that he’s driving on the edge from Lap 1 of practice until the end of the Grand Prix," the Brit concludes.