Gian Carlo Minardi reveals why Charles Leclerc may be showing ‘signs of nervousness’ about Lewis Hamilton

Leclerc has continued to build the team around him, and the 27-year-old sits impressively third in the championship behind Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.

Hamilton will join him ahead of the 2025 season in what should be a highly competitive line-up that could lead Ferrari to the championship.

It will be a big challenge for Leclerc and the toughest teammate he has faced. Gian Carlo Minardi told the YouTube channel motorsport.com Italia why the Ferrari driver might be a little nervous about the battle against Hamilton.

Charles Leclerc ‘should have waited’ when he battled George Russell for the lead in Las Vegas

Leclerc qualified in fourth place for the Grand Prix of Las Vegas but stormed into second place when he passed Pierre Gasly and teammate Sainz.

The Ferrari driver positioned his car perfectly to stay ahead of both in the first few corners, allowing him to attack George Russell for the lead.

Russell struggled against the hard-hitting Leclerc, who made extensive use of the Pirelli tyres, and was soon unable to keep up with the Mercedes.

READ MORE: A £9.6m driver may be off Ferrari’s ‘list’ after what he did at the Las Vegas Grand Prix

Minardi explained that his eagerness to take the lead may have cost him second place and valuable points in the battle for the Constructors’ Championship.

He said: “It certainly won’t be easy for the team to lead a seven-time world champion who also doesn’t want to tell you that as a show it was good in the first two corners, the first three corners in the battle between Russell and Leclerc .

“But it is a sign of nervousness because when you have the car and you have tried the car out for the long term. In my opinion you should have waited a while and not ruined the tires like he did and gambled on it, which might have been a second place.

“So I would say that these are signs of nervousness that could have a negative impact on the final result, which is within Ferrari’s reach and which was unexpected at the beginning of the year.”

Charles Leclerc may have an advantage over Lewis Hamilton in qualifying next season

Leclerc has been lightning fast in qualifying throughout his career, but occasionally has a tendency to step over the limit and make a mistake.

The Ferrari driver dropped to sixth on the grid after running off the track in Q3 ahead of this year’s Austrian Grand Prix and had the potential to set a faster time.

Martin Brundle thinks Leclerc is the fastest in F1 and Hamilton may struggle to match his new teammate on one lap.

Despite Leclerc likely having an advantage over Hamilton in qualifying, they both showed good race pace.

Both drivers set two fastest laps and took the championship point in the first half of the year before Leclerc took a third fastest lap in Mexico.

Hamilton holds the record for the most pole positions in history with 104, but has only started on the front row once this season.

Leclerc and Hamilton should combine well at the Italian team as they look to win Ferrari’s first drivers’ championship since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.

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