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Ex-F1 Champion Makes ‘Funny’ Comparison over Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc After Dutch GP Double DNF

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Armaan Agarwal | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 1:35 AM ET

Scuderia Ferrari had a disastrous run at the Dutch GP. Both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc retired from the race, in a double DNF for Maranello. Now, former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve has made a peculiar observation over the difference between Hamilton and Leclerc after the race.

Lewis Hamilton is having one of the worst campaigns of his career at Ferrari. The seven-time world champion has failed to even grab a podium on Sunday so far. Things have gone to the extent of Hamilton calling himself ‘absolutely useless’ for the Italian team.

The Dutch GP was seemingly another nightmare for the Briton. Lewis Hamilton lost control of the car on slippery conditions and binned it into the wall. On the other hand, Charles Leclerc was taken out by Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli in a controversial incident.

Jacques Villeneuve claimed that both drivers had a completely different attitude after the race. The Canadian pointed out that Leclerc seemed visibly unhappy and furious over the situation. Though Hamilton seemed ‘super happy’ according to the former world champion.

It’s funny, and it’s weird to see how different the two drivers are. Like, Charles is really upset and berating himself, beating himself up — and Lewis actually super happy, like ‘Oh, that’s quite good.’
Jacques Villeneuve told Sky Sports F1

One must note that the positive attitude of Hamilton was not directed towards his crash during the race. Rather, the seven-time world champion was likely happy over the changes made within the Ferrari garage in recent weeks that led to some improvements before Sunday.

Jacques Villeneuve spots crucial Lewis Hamilton change after 'strange' observation:

— Jacques Villeneuve theorized that Lewis Hamilton has experienced a significant mindset shift over the F1 summer shutdown. Villeneuve noted Hamilton's positivity after Dutch Grand Prix… pic.twitter.com/eXNlqnUApc
— This is Formula 1 (@ThisIsFormu1a1) September 2, 2025

Lewis Hamilton ‘changed his mindset’ before Dutch GP

Lewis Hamilton had grand ambitions for his move to Scuderia Ferrari. The 40-year-old saw himself as the one who would bring glory back to Maranello. Unfortunately, after the first half of the season, it appeared that Hamilton was going in the same path as his predecessors at the Prancing Horse.

However, Lewis Hamilton has worked upon himself during the summer break. Villeneuve reckoned that the Dutch GP was one of the few weekends this year when Hamilton was on par with Leclerc. The former Williams driver insisted that the seven-time world champion had changed his mindset and this was evident from his racing.

If you look at the last race, and now, he’s on par with his teammate. He’s had a good weekend. It’s up here. He’s changed his mindset, and it’s affecting his driving.
Jacques Villeneuve added

Fans would love to see Lewis Hamilton make strides towards the front of the grid in coming races. While the Briton has gained confidence with a smoother weekend at Zandvoort, the DNF is certainly going to leave an impact. The seven-time world champion will need to move past the incident without stressing too much on his mistake before the next race in Monza.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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