Lewis Hamilton offers 'rampant' Charles Leclerc hope of Ferrari shock

Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc has been "rampant" in Monaco in the past few seasons, as the home driver is braced for a difficult weekend. 

Leclerc has taken pole position for his home GP in 2021, 2022, and again in 2024 when he finally lifted the so-called 'Monaco curse' with a crushing victory after dominating the entire race weekend. 

However, Leclerc is not expecting a similar performance in 2025 as Ferrari's SF-25 struggles in low-speed corners and over a single lap in qualifying - which are crucial to securing a good result in the Principality.

Hamilton feels Leclerc has been 'the man to beat' in Monaco, offering his team-mate a crumb of hope. 

"Firstly, I'm still in that first year with this team, and every weekend is something new," Hamilton told media, including RacingNews365. 

"Like last weekend [at Imola] was the first time I've been to a European race, finding my driver room and getting accustomed to a new layout and walking into the garage, it is all red.

"I've never been in the Ferrari garage at Monaco, and always wondered what it'd be like to be in the team. 

"For years, Ferrari has been strong around this track, and even in my first year [of 2007], the Ferraris were very strong and obviously we're very strong.

"Obviously, Charles, over the last few years, has been rampant here, and you can see that the car works a lot differently than what I had in the past."

Article continues below with Charles Leclerc's response.

Leclerc's response

Despite his strong qualifying record at home, Leclerc felt Ferrari could be in for a tough weekend, as one of Ferrari's major weaknesses on its 2025 car would be tested.

"Of course, you believe in yourself, I know that on street tracks, it’s been relatively positive for me in the past, so I know that there’s an opportunity there," he added to media, including RacingNews365. 

"The only thing that I will say changes from this year compared to other years is that we have a very specific weakness, in my opinion, which is slow-speed corners. 

"And Monaco being only slow-speed corners, it will be a very big achievement – and a very big surprise as well – if we are a lot better than what we expect.

"The motivation that I have coming here is always very special. It’s a very unique track, very different to what we are used to everywhere else. 

"We can be surprised positively, so the hopes are still high, but let’s say that on paper, it doesn’t look as positive."