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Juan Pablo Montoya believes Charles Leclerc risks becoming marginalised at Ferrari in the same way Sergio Pérez and other drivers have been at Red Bull Racing, as the Scuderia increasingly tailors its SF-25 around Lewis Hamilton. The Colombian former F1 driver warned that Hamilton's resurgence this season could trigger a development bias that leaves Leclerc stranded, replicating the structural imbalance that has defined Red Bull's approach to Max Verstappen.
Hamilton sits fourth in the drivers' championship after two podium finishes in the opening phase of the season, a marked improvement on his winless 2024 campaign at Mercedes. Leclerc holds third, but the gap between the two Ferrari drivers has narrowed as the seven-time champion finds his rhythm in red. For Montoya, that shift in form carries deeper consequences than the standings suggest.
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Speaking on the MontoyAS podcast, Montoya argued that once Hamilton feels at home in the car, Ferrari will inevitably orient its development around him. "As soon as Lewis feels comfortable in the car, he's going to drive really hard, and he wants to be able to win with Ferrari," Montoya said. "Now something happens, just a theory of mine, but based on my racing experience."
Development bias and the Verstappen precedent
Montoya drew a direct comparison to Red Bull, where the car has long been developed to suit Verstappen's preferences, often at the expense of his teammates. "They change the car and probably do a lot of work in the simulator to make sure Lewis feels more comfortable. Lewis goes faster, but what happens to Charles? The same problem that occurs at Red Bull occurs there," he said.
The implication is clear. If Ferrari commits to Hamilton's feedback loop, Leclerc will be left driving a machine that no longer suits his style. Montoya suggested Ferrari will prioritise outright speed over driver parity. "Instead of sending Charles in a different direction than Lewis, they send the team to where the car performs fastest. The more they give Lewis what he wants, the more uncomfortable Charles will feel, because Charles will be driving a Ferrari that's on Lewis's side."
Psychological erosion and engineering pressure
Beyond the setup sheets, Montoya warned of a psychological shift. As Hamilton's lap times improve, Leclerc's engineers will begin to question his approach rather than the car's suitability. "The faster Lewis goes, the more often the engineers will say to Charles, 'Come on, focus more on driving the car,'" Montoya explained. "It's very important that Charles says, 'Come on, let's go back to the drawing board, let's scrap what didn't work. Let's look at our side and let Lewis stay there.'"
Montoya's argument rests on a familiar dynamic in top-tier Formula 1 teams. When one driver becomes the reference point, development resources and engineering confidence follow. Red Bull has operated this way since 2021, with Verstappen as the anchor. Pérez, Pierre Gasly, and Alex Albon all struggled to match his pace in machinery built to his specification. Montoya believes Ferrari is drifting toward the same model, with Hamilton as the new fixed star.
Leclerc's countermove
Leclerc's response will determine whether Ferrari becomes a one-driver team or maintains genuine internal competition. Montoya stressed that the Monegasque must assert himself early, pushing his engineers to preserve a development path tailored to his strengths. If he allows the car to drift entirely toward Hamilton's preferences, the gap in performance will widen, and with it, his influence within the team.
Hamilton's podium pace in 2025 has already shifted the internal dynamic. Ferrari signed him to win championships, not to play a supporting role. Leclerc, who joined the team in 2019 and was promised a long-term project around his talent, now faces a different reality. The question is whether Maranello can sustain two competing development philosophies, or whether one driver will be absorbed into the other's setup, just as Red Bull absorbed its second seats into Verstappen's machinery. Montoya's warning is rooted in experience, and the early signs suggest Ferrari is already making its choice
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