Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes Charles Leclerc has been presented with an invaluable chance to study Lewis Hamilton’s title-winning qualities following the Briton’s first Ferrari grand prix triumph at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
Hamilton ended his victory drought and claimed his first grand prix win with the Maranello outfit during a dramatic Barcelona-Catalunya campaign. The seven-time champion pulled off a three-stop strategy, capitalising on a timely virtual safety car to secure his 106th career victory.
While Hamilton celebrated his Ferrari milestone, his team-mate Charles Leclerc endured a troublesome weekend. The Monegasque driver suffered a crash in qualifying and was ultimately forced to retire from the race after he lost power steering.
Speaking on F1 TV‘s post-race analysis programme, Montoya explained: “This is a really important time, for example, for Charles to look at how Lewis brought the team forward and learn.
“Of course, he wants to beat Lewis, and he will beat Lewis in a lot of races as well, but this is an amazing opportunity that Charles has to understand what makes Lewis Hamilton a seven-time world champion.”
Although Leclerc’s race in Barcelona did not end the way that he would have hoped, he congratulated Hamilton during his interview following Sunday’s racing.
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
“I don’t want to take any credit for today,” Leclerc explained. “I don’t think I’ve done much for the team. I think Lewis and the team eventually won it on their own, and I wish I had been a bit more in front to maybe be a bit more in the mix of things. But it wasn’t my fault.
“So a huge congratulations to Lewis, who has been on it now for quite a bit and has been incredible, and a huge congrats to the team as well.”
Hamilton currently sits second in the drivers’ standings, 41 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli and nine points ahead of George Russell in third. Leclerc sits fourth, 40 points behind his team-mate.
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