Getting beaten by Charles Leclerc starting to hurt Lewis Hamilton, feels former rival

Lewis Hamilton's former McLaren teammate Jenson Button has stated that the seven-time world champion has gotten much calmer in the last decade. However, Button doesn't believe it's a good thing, as getting outperformed by Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc is likely hurting him from within.

Hamilton made his F1 debut with McLaren in 2007. Jenson Button joined him in 2010, and the duo stayed as teammates until 2012. In these years, the 2009 world champion noted that Lewis was fierce. He used to bounce back quickly after disappointment.

However, a decade later, things have changed, says Button. He stated that Hamilton is now calmer as a person. While it may seem like a positive sign of evolution to some, Button sees an alleged underlying problem.

He thinks Lewis Hamilton is somewhere hurt by getting outperformed by his own teammates, including Charles Leclerc. Talking to Sky Sports in Miami, Button said:

“Lewis is a different character now than he was when we were teammates. If he was deflated, the next day he was out and on it and super fast. Now, he’s much more of a calm personality; he’s much more of a rounded character. I think it is starting to hurt him a little bit, constantly being slower than his teammate. That’s not how Lewis Hamilton is built. He’s a winner."

Leclerc has had the upper hand over Hamilton in the opening six races of the ongoing F1 season. He has beaten him in every qualifying session and Grand Prix race. Though, the Brit has seen some success in sprint races, winning one in China and getting P3 in Miami.

Speaking of Miami, the Ferrari teammates had an internal battle while fighting for P6, leading to team order chaos. Eventually, neither of them succeeded, as Leclerc finished P7 and Hamilton settled for P8.

As far as the championship race is concerned, Leclerc is 12 points ahead (53) of Hamilton at P5, whereas the latter remains at P7 with 41 points.

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Lewis Hamilton asked to apologize to Ferrari over Miami GP outburst

Lewis Hamilton at F1 Grand Prix of Miami - Sprint & Qualifying - Source: Getty

During the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton had a showdown with Ferrari engineers over team orders. First, he asked to be swapped ahead of Charles Leclerc because he was faster on medium tires. However, since Ferrari delayed the swap request by four laps, his pace dropped due to tire wear.

Hamilton ultimately was unable to chase Kimi Antonelli for P6, leading Ferrari to swap the cars back to their original positions. Throughout this chaotic phase, Hamilton snapped on the team radio with sarcastic messages like 'Have a cup of tea' and 'Not good teamwork.'

Moreover, he refused to apologize, saying he didn't mean any disrespect. However, former driver Ralf Schumacher believes the seven-time world champion should have apologized. Talking to the Backstage Boxengasse podcast, he said:

"I don't pretend that I meant it sarcastically. Instead, I just say that I'm sorry. That shouldn't really happen with his experience and his age. He could have acted a bit more cleverly. I think that would have suited him better. Of course, the relationship [with Ferrari] is tarnished by such actions. That will stick, and he has to know that himself."

Lewis Hamilton explained that he would have said much worse things, but kept it as respectful as possible.