Jolyon Palmer believes Charles Leclerc faced a new kind of challenge at the hands of Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton during the recent race weekend in Canada.
Hamilton outperformed Leclerc in both Sprint and Grand Prix qualifying sessions, then finished more than half a minute ahead on his way to second place. Leclerc did manage to get ahead in the Sprint, though, pulling off a late move to finish in front on Saturday.
Leclerc later described it as “the worst weekend” of his career. Even though fourth place seems respectable, he gained from George Russell’s DNF and McLaren’s questionable tyre call. He also got away clean after a half-spin at the final chicane.
Hamilton comfortably ahead of Leclerc during Montreal weekend
There are some in the paddock who think Ferrari’s chassis strength could give them an edge in Monaco, even if their engine isn’t quite up to par. But Palmer is starting to have second thoughts about his prediction that Leclerc would outperform Hamilton this season.
Leclerc didn’t have much to say over team radio during the race, only responding when it was absolutely necessary.
Throughout the weekend, Leclerc was slower than Hamilton in every qualifying session and looked well off the pace by comparison.
Speaking on F1 Nation, Palmer said: “Before, I’ve been saying, ‘Charles, Monaco, it’s going to happen, it’s on the cards.’
“I have to say, Canada is not a good preparation for it. He was so despondent. The whole way through Saturday, this was maybe the worst weekend he’s ever had.
“Sunday, he just sounded so glib on the radio, ‘don’t talk to me until the last lap’, had that silly spin.
“I would say that, for the first time in an awfully long time, almost in his whole career, was categorically outpaced by a teammate. Before, if Lewis has been ahead, if Carlos Sainz has been ahead, even if you take it back to Seb Vettel being ahead, it’s been hundredths, 50/50 ish and it lands towards the teammate.
“Whereas Charles can have these weekends where he’s just two or three tenths up the road, a little bit like Lewis was in Canada. I think that’s why you saw a different side of him, where he’s not actually that close. He is just not feeling the grip.”
Charles Leclerc withdraws from media appearances ahead of Monaco GP
The 2024 Monaco winner is usually in high demand around his home race, but this year Leclerc has opted out of some team events to clear his schedule.
Leclerc appears to be resetting ahead of what he considers “the biggest race of the year.”
“The next race is Monaco,” Palmer said. “It’s his best one. Is that the perfect tonic? The best place for him to come back, just feel his groove. Or is it a bad time to have his best race, when he’s arriving without the confidence?
“Cancelling the media commitments shows he’s not in a natural space. He’s feeling like he needs a reset here, probably just a few days out to get away from it and then regather himself. It’s his biggest race of the year coming up.”
Before Montreal, Hamilton chose not to return to Europe for factory or simulator work and instead stayed in North America with friends. He credited that break for helping him deliver what turned out to be his strongest performance in red so far – something Leclerc might now be looking to emulate.
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