Juan Pablo Montoya reveals the key reason Lewis Hamilton must outperform Charles Leclerc
Juan Pablo Montoya has explained why Lewis Hamilton must beat Charles Leclerc at Ferrari in 2026 to lead development and strengthen his position within the team
Lewis Hamilton & Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Ferrari
Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has spoken about why it is so important for Lewis Hamilton to outperform his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc.
After struggling in his first season with the Maranello outfit in 2025, Hamilton is eager to return to his championship-winning form after having a personal reset over the winter break.
While it may seem obvious that drivers will always want to beat their team-mates, Montoya explained that Hamilton needs to outperform Leclerc to get the upgrades first and help gel his side of the garage.
"I think the big thing for Lewis, I'm not sure where Ferrari stands on the pecking order, but the big thing for Lewis is he needs to find a way to beat Charles," Montoya told F1 TV in the lead-up to the Australian Grand Prix weekend.
"He needs to move Ferrari along and focus. It gets to a point when you're in a team, and your team-mate keeps beating you, all the development and everything is going to go to your team-mate and it's going to be focused on whoever is fastest.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images
"So, you need to be able to lead that. You need to be the man that leads that."
"Absolutely, he can," he added when asked if he thought it was possible for Hamilton. "But I think he needs to make sure his inner group, like the group on his side of the garage, work extra hard and they're as committed as he is. I think that's the biggest thing as a driver that people underestimate is how good a job you do with the people in your garage and how hungry are they for winning with you."
Hamilton qualified seventh for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, while Leclerc qualified in fourth. Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli will lock out the front row, with Russell taking pole position.
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