23/05/2025 11:40
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."
