Former F1 manager suggests Ferrari is favouring Charles Leclerc over Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton was clearly frustrated after qualifying 12th, calling himself “useless” while Leclerc secured Ferrari’s first pole of the season. Leclerc was nearly a quarter of a second quicker in Q2, going through to the next round in sixth.

A suspected chassis problem put an end to Leclerc’s chances of fighting for the win, and he dropped back to finish fourth, over 37 seconds behind the leader even before his five-second penalty. The drop-off came after his second pit stop on lap 40.

Minardi also got the sense that Hamilton feels Ferrari haven’t followed through on their promises. The former team owner believes there may be more focus within Ferrari on helping Leclerc find form than on supporting Hamilton at this stage.

Minardi told Gazzetta dello Sport: “From various interviews, I understand [that] Lewis is complaining about things that were promised to him but haven’t arrived.

“It’s difficult to make judgments, in any case. I think Ferrari are trying to find a better direction for Leclerc right now.”

Charles Leclerc now 42 points clear of Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari teammate battle

Hamilton finished the Hungarian GP wondering whether he’s helping Ferrari at all, especially after watching Leclerc take their first pole of the season and compete for a win, while he couldn’t make any progress through the field. Ferrari remain the only one of F1’s top four teams yet to win a race in 2025.

The Italian team sit second in the constructors’ championship at the summer break, but the Briton is only sixth in the F1 drivers’ standings with 109 points after 14 rounds. He also now trails Leclerc in fifth spot by 42 points, even though Hamilton won the F1 Sprint at the Chinese GP.

Hamilton’s standout moments with Ferrari have come in Sprints so far. He also took third in Miami and his best main race results for Ferrari are fourth-place finishes at Imola, Austria and Silverstone.