Charles Leclerc handed boost despite fresh Lewis Hamilton threat

Former F1 driver David Coulthard has stated Charles Leclerc can take comfort in the length of his Ferrari contract to get through the difficult spell he is currently enduring at the team.

Lewis Hamilton has been Ferrari's stronger performer so far this year and took his maiden win with the team last weekend in Barcelona.

The seven-time champion currently sits second in the drivers' championship, 40 points in front of team-mate Leclerc.

Leclerc has failed to score at the last two rounds and no longer has the clear advantage over Hamilton that was present last year.

A notable moment that stood out this year was a fierce battle the two had in China, which Coulthard believes was the first indication that Hamilton was back in form.

“He [Leclerc] is mature enough in his career now to understand that racing against a seven-time world champion, you're certainly not going to beat him all the time,” Coulthard told the Up to Speed podcast.

“He probably found it a bit easier than he expected when he joined from Mercedes, he basically was still the pace-setter within the team.

“But what we've seen this year, think back to Shanghai, where they were pass, re-pass, battling - we were questioning whether Ferrari was doing the right thing, letting their guys race.

“But actually it was brilliant entertainment for us. It was the early times that Lewis Hamilton was back to his brilliant best.”

Last month, Ferrari announced an updated contract for Leclerc, reasserting the partnership will continue between the duo for several more years.

Coulthard stated that Leclerc should not be weighed down by his current struggles, as he will likely still be at Ferrari long after Hamilton walks away from F1.

“He will be disappointed in his own performance in the last couple of grands prix,” Coulthard said.

“But he's got a multi-million-pound secure contract going forward, even if the worst comes to worst for him, in that Lewis continually delivers, gets the wins, wins the championship, Lewis can surely only be around for another two years, three years. 

“I can't imagine he's going to be around for the next five years, which I imagine is the length of the contract that Charles Leclerc has.”