May 15 (GMM) Former Formula 1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr. believes Lewis Hamilton has already slipped firmly into a supporting role at Ferrari behind Charles Leclerc.
The comments come amid growing scrutiny of Hamilton’s form after a difficult Miami weekend in which Leclerc again comfortably outpaced his seven-time world champion teammate.
“Are they equal in status? No,” Piquet Jr said on the Pelas Pistas podcast.
“Leclerc is number 1, Hamilton is number 2. Right now he’s second, and Leclerc is ahead of him 80 percent of the time.”
Piquet Jr said Ferrari effectively no longer needs to manage any internal hierarchy because the pecking order is already obvious on track.
“The team doesn’t have to worry about that because Leclerc is already ahead,” he said. “He usually qualifies better and finishes better.
“Since last year, he’s been the guy leading.”
The son of triple world champion and namesake Nelson Piquet added that Hamilton’s struggles are not entirely surprising given the Briton’s stage of career.
“Last year, he won decisively, and this year Hamilton has closed the gap a little,” he said.
“But Hamilton has been in Formula 1 for 20 years, and this is the end of his career, so that’s normal.”
Hamilton’s long-term future has become an increasing topic in the paddock, with Ralf Schumacher arguing that both Hamilton and Fernando Alonso should retire at the end of the season to make room for younger drivers.
Meanwhile, former Ferrari engineering chief Aldo Costa has offered unusually blunt criticism of Alonso’s time at Maranello.
“I have to say very honestly that I didn’t get along well with him,” Costa said on the Terruzzi Racconta podcast.
He believes Alonso’s personality ultimately created major internal tension.
“If he had limited himself to driving and pushing development, he would have been perfect,” he said.
“He probably would have won seven or eight championships as well.”
“In reality, he goes beyond that and tries to involve himself in choosing people within the team, manipulating the team from an organisational point of view.
“And that’s where conflicts begin.”
Costa suggested Alonso’s political approach followed him throughout his career.
“I’m afraid it’s part of his character,” he said. “In fact, despite his incredible talent, nobody really wanted to enjoy having him.”
The veteran Italian revealed Alonso was strongly rejected internally when Mercedes was considering a driver change. “When there were discussions at Mercedes – among Rosberg, Bottas, ‘should we bring Alonso in?’ – there was a chain reaction starting from Dr Zetsche, Hamilton, me … everyone said: no, no, no.”