Villeneuve urges Ferrari to back Hamilton over Leclerc

Former Formula 1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has called on Ferrari to shift its focus from Charles Leclerc to teammate Lewis Hamilton to mount a serious championship challenge this season. The comments follow Hamilton's first victory for Ferrari at the Spanish Grand Prix and a widening performance gap between the two drivers.

Hamilton's win in Barcelona ended a nearly two-year personal victory drought and a similar winless streak for the team. The seven-time champion now sits second in the drivers' standings, 41 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes. In contrast, Leclerc has suffered back-to-back retirements in Monaco and Spain, leaving him fourth overall and 40 points behind Hamilton.

Villeneuve, the 1997 champion, argued that Leclerc failed to build the team around himself during his tenure, a task he believes Hamilton is now accomplishing. "Leclerc had time to build the team around him and he didn't," Villeneuve said on a podcast. He suggested Leclerc's rapid rise to a top contract at Ferrari may have come "too much too soon," and that the driver was unprepared for the intensity Hamilton brings once he finds his form.