"Bro finally admitting he’s a car merchant": Fans react to Lewis Hamilton claiming Charles Leclerc's driving style gives him an edge at Ferrari

F1 fans were left reeling after Lewis Hamilton admitted that Charles Leclerc's driving style in a Ferrari gave him an upper hand during the 2025 Austrian GP. The British driver started the race from P4 and finished in the same position to match his highest finish of the year in the main race, his Imola result.

The 40-year-old looked much closer to his teammate throughout the weekend at the Red Bull Ring and was in contention for a podium finish in the first stint. However, he quickly settled into his position after seeing off the threat from his former Mercedes teammate George Russell in the early laps and found himself in no man's land.

Speaking in his post-race interview, Lewis Hamilton admitted that he was running closer to Charles Leclerc's setup in the race and said, via PlanetF1:

“He drives a massively oversteering car. Somehow he slides the rear and doesn’t have degradation. When I slide the rears, I get massive degradation. I suppose it took Carlos [Sainz] a couple of years to get used to. I don’t want to do that! I think I’m improving… I was a lot closer in quali, didn’t have the race pace.”

F1 fans took to social media to give their reactions to Lewis Hamilton's comments on X, with one fan claiming:

"Bro finally admitting he’s a car merchant" "Skill issue" "Does he ever stop complaining?" asked a fan.

Here are some more reactions:

"And yet, in 2023, Lewis wanted to challenge Max by driving RB19. Now I know he would've never survived that fight," said a fan. "Bro pushing 50 he doesnt have years," wrote a fan. "Let’s see if I can find a way to explain this: You’re 40 and Charles is better," claimed another.

Lewis Hamilton has 91 points to his name in 11 races and two Sprints and has yet to stand on a podium in the main race.

Lewis Hamilton analyzes his P4 finish in Austria

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton stated that he was "happy" with his P4 and expressed his gratitude to the Italian team for bringing a "small" upgrade on the SF-25.

Speaking with Sky Sports, the seven-time F1 world champion reflected on the subject and said:

"Mega progress for us as a team, so we have to say a huge thank you again to the guys at the factory for bringing the upgrade this weekend. It didn't seem much on paper. It was really a small step, but perhaps it had a bigger influence on our performance. "For us to be the second fastest team this weekend, we're not a minute down from McLaren, which is positive. To bag some really strong points, I'm definitely happy with it."

The Maranello-based outfit is reported to bring another set of upgrades to Silverstone next weekend, which might include a new rear suspension.

Edited by Hitesh Nigam