David Coulthard has given his verdict on the altering relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc after the seven-time champion returned to successful methods at Barcelona.
Hamilton took Ferrari’s first win on the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit, however teammate Leclerc ended a tough weekend with reliability points that compelled him to retire within the closing phases.
Though he’s at the moment 40 factors behind Hamilton in second place within the drivers’ standings, Coulthard believes Leclerc will have the ability to maintain his personal.
Leclerc takes on gravel in Barcelona
©XPB Photos
“He is mature sufficient in his profession now to know that even when you race a seven-time world champion, you’ll be able to’t all the time beat him,” Coulthard stated on the present. As much as Pace Podcast.
“When he[Hamilton]got here in from Mercedes he most likely felt it was just a little bit simpler than he anticipated and he was principally nonetheless the pacesetter within the staff.
“However what we noticed this yr, keep in mind after they had been passing and passing one another in Shanghai, we had been questioning if it was the suitable factor for Ferrari to let their drivers race, however truly for us it was nice leisure and an early signal that Lewis Hamilton was again to his sensible finest.”
“So, in fact he might be upset along with his performances in the previous couple of grands prix, however he has a assured multi-million pound contract going ahead. Even when the worst occurs for him, Lewis ought to solely have two or three extra years left by way of persevering with to carry out, proceed to win and proceed to win championships.”
“I am unable to think about him staying for the subsequent 5 years, however I believe that is the identical size as Charles Leclerc’s contract.”
Santi and Hamilton have a good time first win collectively
When Hamilton joined Ferrari, he actively socialized with Leclerc to kind a working relationship. The 2 have additionally been recognized to play chess collectively on-line, however Coulthard says there could also be limits to their friendship.
“You possibly can say they’re at two completely different phases of life. Every thing is new and thrilling for Charles, however I extremely doubt they’ll go to social dinners collectively or ebook a summer season trip collectively,” he defined.
With Barcelona’s vital upgrades, Ferrari proved that they had the automobile to problem Mercedes for race wins, elevating the enticing prospect of a head-to-head battle between the Ferrari pairing of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.
“What’s fascinating is that on the weekend in Barcelona we bought a fast perception into the wheel-to-wheel battle between George and Kimi. George defended fairly late in flip one, however he left loads of house so it wasn’t an issue,” Coulthard stated.
Hamilton and Leclerc get excited in wheel-to-wheel battle
“And naturally in China we noticed some aggressive play, with Lewis overtaking and Charles overtaking.
“However as we get into the center of the season, the strain goes to mount. Ferrari’s competitiveness is clearly very spectacular to look at. So we’ll see them not solely combating one another for the win, but in addition combating one another towards the 2 Merckx vehicles. It’ll be fascinating.”
