Palmer sees dilemma: Will Leclerc become the secret weapon against Mercedes?

(Motorsport-Total.com) – Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari is increasingly being seen as a success story after his victory in Barcelona. However, for former Formula 1 driver Jolyon Palmer, this view is clearly too simplistic. In the podcast F1 Nation, the Briton contradicts the widespread assessment that Hamilton now clearly has teammate Charles Leclerc under control.

“First of all, there is this convenient narrative that Lewis completely dominates Charles at Ferrari and Ferrari is now his team,” explains Palmer. “But if you look more closely at the past race weekends, Charles was very, very close or even faster than Lewis.”

Palmer points out that Hamilton only clearly had the upper hand in Canada. In Monaco, Hamilton was ahead of Leclerc only in the second free practice before the Monegasque made a mistake in qualifying. Also in Barcelona, Hamilton was only ahead of his teammate in the first qualifying segment.

“Therefore, I believe that Charles is currently his own biggest opponent,” says Palmer. “Lewis is doing an excellent job, and he deserves great respect for that. Still, I don’t think Charles can become world champion with his current points deficit.”

Ferrari could focus on Hamilton

From this, Palmer derives the crucial question for the rest of the season. If Ferrari realizes that Leclerc has hardly any realistic chances in the title fight, the Scuderia could align its entire strategy around Hamilton.

“Will Ferrari eventually put all their cards on Lewis because they simply have to if they want to beat Mercedes?” asks Palmer. Before the Austrian Grand Prix, Hamilton is second in the drivers’ standings with 115 points, while Leclerc is fourth with 75 points. The Monegasque’s deficit could prompt Ferrari to set clear internal priorities.

Palmer even believes that this could become a dangerous weapon in the fight against Mercedes. “If Ferrari can tell Charles: ‘You are 40 points behind Lewis. Even with Lewis, it will be hard enough to catch up to Mercedes – for you, even more so.’ Then Ferrari could still become a real threat.”

Because Leclerc does not necessarily have to fight for the title himself to have a decisive influence on the championship.

Leclerc as an “absolute danger” to Mercedes?

For Palmer, Leclerc would not be powerless in a supporting role – quite the opposite. “With his speed, Charles Leclerc could become an absolute danger to Mercedes,” emphasizes the Briton. “He can win races. He can take many points away from Mercedes and help Hamilton enormously in the title fight.”

Mercedes currently leads the championship fight, so every tactical decision by Ferrari could have a direct impact on the Silver Arrows’ chances of success. If Ferrari consistently backs Hamilton and uses Leclerc strategically against the Mercedes drivers, the balance of power at the top could change significantly.

Whether Leclerc would accept such a role at all, Palmer considers questionable. “The question is whether Charles would ever do that for Hamilton,” he says. “He has just signed a long-term and extremely lucrative contract. He certainly did not come to Ferrari to be number two.”

Nevertheless, from Palmer’s point of view, Ferrari could hardly have a better option to still intervene in the title fight. “If I were Ferrari, that would be exactly my greatest asset to turn an actually hopeless situation into a championship fight.”

It is known that the Scuderia has been willing in the past to subordinate one driver in favor of the other. Palmer recalls the era of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso. “They have done that before.”

“For Felipe Massa, that was ultimately devastating. But at the same time, Ferrari almost won the world championship out of nowhere with Fernando Alonso.” Whether Ferrari will again pursue a clear team orders course this season is likely to be one of the most exciting strategic questions in the coming weeks.

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