Cracks are already appearing in the relationship between Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton according to reports. It’s been a difficult start to the 2025 season for the Scuderia, with Hamilton’s sprint win in China the highlight so far as they languish fourth in the constructors’ standings.

Leclerc’s P4 finish in Japan on Sunday signifies the best Grand Prix result of the pair, taking him sixth in the drivers’ standings. His British team-mate lies two places behind him, with his hopes of an unprecedented eighth F1 world title already fading. Team engineers are reportedly working hard to address Hamilton’s form and are currently weighing up an upgrade to the floors of their SF-25 vehicles.

Leclerc, however, appears fed up with the attention being afforded to the F1 icon. The Monegasque man is now said to have made his feelings to team bosses clear ahead of this weekend’s race in Bahrain.

According to Corriele dello Sport, he’s told team principal Fred Vasseur: “Enough, I'm going my own way.” It follows claims that Vasseur and co have been listening to ‘every word’ of feedback provided by Hamilton so far.

Indeed, after Suzuka, Leclerc appeared frustrated in his post-race interviews, saying: “I’m going to Sakhir with a different vision of the tests. I have a very clear direction that I want to take for what my driving style is, and I hope it pays off.”

A garage to be split between two drivers is not a new phenomenon in F1. However, the situation echoes the early days of Hamilton’s infamous partnership with Nico Rosberg at Mercedes, where both drivers were at odds with each other as they battled for supremacy.

After labouring to seventh place in Japan, Hamilton raised eyebrows with his comments on his new car, saying: “I did the best I could today, I was generally lacking performance compared to the cars ahead of me, especially Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren.

“My pace was maximum today. I didn’t have anything else in the car. Underperformance is happening at the rear of the car this weekend, and obviously, qualifying position is key. I’m hoping that in the next race, we will be closer.”