How Charles Leclerc responded after Lewis Hamilton passed him at US Grand Prix

Speaking to Sky Sports after the Sprint, Leclerc said he would rather lose out to Hamilton than a rival from another team, keeping the points within Ferrari.

The moment came when the Monegasque ran wide after an oversteer snap in the first sector. He tried to hold off Hamilton, but once they hit the DRS straight, there was little he could do.

“It’s better that way than any other cars! I did a big mistake and nearly ended up in the wall at turn five, six, and then Lewis overtook me right after. It was difficult to recover the pace after that mistake.”

Jenson Button and Karun Chandhok praise Hamilton’s DRS move on Leclerc

Karun Chandhok, speaking to Sky, praised Hamilton for setting up the pass well before making it stick. He pointed out how Hamilton took a ‘tighter line’ through the turn 11 hairpin, positioning his SF-25 perfectly to take advantage as Leclerc moved inside to defend.

“Lewis gets close, backs out of it, chooses not to make the move in that sector of the lap. But then he gets a really good run. He takes a tighter line through 11, gets in the slipstream straight away.

“Now the DRS will pop open, and watch as he draws himself towards his teammate. Down the inside, Leclerc doesn’t fully cover the inside line, leaving just one car’s width. In the end, a nice clean overtake.

“Leclerc was fair there – he moved across to the inside but crucially left one car’s width. And that was all the invitation Hamilton needed.”

While David Croft had labeled Hamilton the “biggest disappointment” of 2025, his former teammate – Jenson Button – observed a much-needed confidence boost in Hamilton’s performance, especially in the braking zone.

“Overtaking your teammate is always a boost, especially when it’s Charles Leclerc! Lovely move, the DRS worked a treat. Still, to have the confidence to put the car to the left and outbrake Charles…”