Lewis Hamilton has a contract clause with Ferrari that permits him to skydive, a privilege his teammate Charles Leclerc does not enjoy. The revelation came during an on-stage interview at the Austrian Grand Prix, where Hamilton expressed his desire to skydive at the Red Bull Ring.
On-stage exchange reveals different contract freedoms
Speaking in the Spielberg fanzone, Hamilton said: "I would love to skydive here, I think it is a beautiful place. I would love to skydive into the track one day." Leclerc, surprised, asked: "Does Ferrari allow you?" Hamilton confirmed he is permitted to skydive. Leclerc replied: "They don't with me," prompting Hamilton to ask: "Really?" Leclerc joked: "They don't trust me, maybe, with a parachute."
The exchange highlighted the different terms in their contracts, with Hamilton's seven world championships giving him leverage to negotiate such privileges.
Hamilton's recent on-track success contrasts with Leclerc's struggles
Hamilton has outperformed Leclerc recently, securing his first Ferrari Grand Prix victory in Barcelona and two additional podium finishes. In contrast, Leclerc has crashed in recent races and failed to finish the last two.
Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya, speaking to the Pit Lane Torque podcast, urged Leclerc to learn from Hamilton. "I think this is a really good lesson for Charles to understand why Lewis is so f***ing good," Montoya said.
Montoya advises Leclerc to seek Hamilton's guidance
Montoya explained: "When Lewis arrived, Charles was expecting this, but the Lewis he got was a guy that wasn't happy with the car, he didn't trust the car or anything. And [Leclerc] thought, 'I'm this f***ing good, I should win everything'. And he is very, very good. But then Lewis kept his head down and kept working and figured it out."
"And now what Lewis is bringing to the table is making Charles really uncomfortable. I think Charles is fast enough to match him. I don't think that's the issue. The issue that where Charles needs to get really good is, they need to sit down and go, 'Okay, how did Lewis transform this?'" Montoya added.
"Would Charles be comfortable having that conversation? Are you comfortable enough to go to Lewis and say, 'How do you do this?' Because most people are not... But Charles should use this as a good lesson, because Charles is in Ferrari for the long term. If he can learn how Lewis transformed the team and transformed his side of the garage, I think it could make him an amazing driver and a world champion."
