Charles Leclerc brutally torn apart by Jenson Button as Lewis Hamilton feelings clear

Jenson Button has brutally criticised Charles Leclerc following his poor showing at the British Grand Prix. The Monegasque endured a torrid time at Silverstone, with his decision to put for slick tyres at the end of the formation lap proving to be the wrong call.

Leclerc was one of a handful of drivers to regret the change, with the circuit still proving too wet and causing him to slip off the circuit as he desperately searched for grip. The 27-year-old ultimately had to settle for 14th, an almighty 45 seconds behind Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Speaking on Sky Sports F1, Button wasted no time in questioning Leclerc's decision, as well as heaping praise on Hamilton for his performance. He explained: "I mean, it seems like if you've got a tricky race like this, you do the opposite of what Charles Leclerc does.

"It's never been a strong point of him or his engineer, or whoever it is, but they always seem to come off worse in these tricky conditions. But no, I still think it was a great job by Lewis.

"It was great seeing him fight with George [Russell] for so many laps. And that epic move, the restart into Turn 3 when he overtook two cars, mega around the outside. Such a beautiful move. And then the real good fight with George and passing Pierre [Gasly] again."

Leclerc did not shy away from admitting that he was below-par at Silverstone, insisting that he struggled throughout the race rather than just after his tyre change. He said: "One of the most difficult races for me, if not the most difficult race of my career. I just struggled to keep the car on track from the first lap to the last lap.

"I don't know where it's coming from. I'll obviously look at the data. I kind of have an idea; it might be because of the set-up that I'm choosing at the moment, which is quite extreme. I really struggle to believe that set-up makes such a difference. I think there's something that we've got to look at."

Leclerc and his Ferrari team will be keen to assess all of the data and footage available before bidding to bounce back to form in Belgium.