Montoya: Leclerc Has 'Amazing Opportunity' to Learn From Hamilton at Ferrari

Juan Pablo Montoya says Charles Leclerc has a priceless chance to study Lewis Hamilton's championship pedigree after Hamilton claimed his first Ferrari win in Spain. While Hamilton executed a brilliant three-stop strategy for his 106th career victory, Leclerc crashed in qualifying and retired with a power steering failure.

Why it matters:

Hamilton's arrival has reshaped Ferrari's internal dynamic. For Leclerc, Hamilton offers a real-time lesson in sustained excellence. Montoya insists Leclerc should focus not just on speed, but on absorbing the leadership and discipline behind seven titles. How he processes these lessons could define Ferrari's hierarchy going forward.

The details:

• Hamilton's milestone: He capitalized on a virtual safety car to execute a three-stop strategy, securing his 106th win and moving to second in the standings.
• Leclerc's misery: A qualifying crash and a race-ending power steering failure kept him from contributing to Ferrari's front-running effort.
• Montoya's view: On F1 TV, Montoya said Leclerc has "an amazing opportunity" to learn how Hamilton "brought the team forward" and what makes a seven-time champion.
• Leclerc's response: He praised Hamilton and the team, noting, "I don't want to take any credit for today... Lewis and the team eventually won it on their own."
• Standings: Hamilton is second, 41 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli and nine ahead of George Russell. Leclerc sits fourth, 40 points adrift.

What's next:

The coming races will reveal whether Leclerc can turn observation into execution. Montoya's point centers on the intangibles—consistency, team cohesion, and capitalizing when it counts—that separate winners from champions. Blending those strengths with his raw pace is Leclerc's best route to erasing the 40-point deficit and proving he is Ferrari's long-term standard-bearer.