Villenueve fuels Hamilton - Ferrari speculation: Leclerc in danger?

18:24, 21 Jul

byNorberto Mujica

Ferrari lost their way in the 2025 Formula 1 season before it even began. Pundits have opined this is due to Charles Leclerc's feedback, and have thus theorised that the Scuderia should heed Lewis Hamilton's instead.

Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya was among the first to urge Ferrari to forego Leclerc's technical input in favor of Hamilton's.

Sky Sports F1 presenter Simon Lazenby upped the antee by stating that senior performance engineer and driver coach at Ferrari Jock Clear will be 'shouting from the rooftops' to turn Ferrari's attention to the 7-time world champion.

Although the Briton has not enjoyed the most successful start to his stint at Ferrari, having falling often in qualifying and race duels to his teammate, and by noticeable margins as well, Jacques Villeneuve, former F1 champion and current analyst for Sky Sports F1, has now added his name to the list.

'Ferrari is already shifting away from Leclerc and toward Hamilton'

In fact, the current Williams ambassador believes the shift is already happening. Speaking to Formula1.com, the Canadian former F1 driver stated as much: "Lewis is slowly but surely putting his foot down, making this his team."

"That is very important for what’s coming next. He’s getting in a more comfortable place for himself. He has a lot of experience, he knows what it takes, and he’s biding his time."

'Hamilton sutck it out and is on the rise now'

Whilst Villeneuve acknowledges that the start to Hamilton's Ferrari tenure has not been optimal he believes the British world champion is on the rise.

"It was tough and he hasn’t collapsed, so that’s good. He’s always been a very emotional driver, but it seems that he’s passed the deep wave, so he might be on the up wave right now," Villeneuve concluded.

Former F1 driver David Coulthard also commented on Hamilton's time at Ferrari. The Scot issued a rather stern verdict in what he assessed so far as 'uncomfortable to watch,' remaining sceptical to a potential turn around.

Charles Leclerc himself addressed the rumours and downplayed them, with Ferrari's deputy team boss clarifying that Ferrari's performance was above the drivers' preferred car behaviour characteristics.

The future for Hamilton should bode well, with Ferrari introducing a revamped rear suspension for the Belgian Grand Prix, and an upgrade to their power steering system for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

These developments couple with the floor premiered at the Austrian Grand Prix, could provide Ferrari - and Hamilton - with an extra edge. Will it be enough to challenge McLaren, though? That's a different story.