There’s appreciable pleasure surrounding the upcoming battle between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at Ferrari within the 2025 Components 1 marketing campaign.
Over the previous few years, Lewis Hamilton has confronted combined outcomes, with George Russell getting the higher of him in two out of their three seasons collectively at Mercedes. Nonetheless, Hamilton has a robust observe file of outperforming teammates, notably surpassing each Nico Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas, with Nico Rosberg being the one one to have defeated him persistently, doing so solely as soon as in 2016.
Former Ferrari staff supervisor Peter Windsor predicts that Charles Leclerc could possibly be the British driver’s most formidable challenger but, particularly on condition that Hamilton will not have the benefit of a teammate prepared to function a secondary help driver, as he had with Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes.
Leclerc, who has spent six years at Ferrari, has deeply ingrained himself within the staff’s tradition. He additionally rose by way of Ferrari’s academy program and is managed by Nicholas Todt, the son of the previous Ferrari CEO. These long-standing ties make the Monegasque a major determine inside Ferrari and an much more difficult rival for Hamilton.
Journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm, talking on The Race podcast, highlighted a possible situation the place Hamilton might contemplate leaving Ferrari after the 2025 Components 1 season. In accordance with Mitchell-Malm, one key issue that may affect Hamilton’s future on the Maranello staff is the competitiveness of the 2025 marketing campaign.
Lewis Hamilton, now on the age of 40, will undoubtedly wish to compete for race wins and titles instantly. As he nears the tip of his illustrious profession, the strain to succeed is bigger than ever. Whereas Ferrari’s latest efficiency has been inconsistent, the staff has nonetheless produced vehicles able to successful races, an space the place Mercedes has struggled for the reason that new laws took impact in 2022.
If Ferrari’s efficiency in 2025 proves to be underwhelming or uncompetitive, there could possibly be a situation the place the British driver decides to half methods with the staff on the finish of the season.
Scott Mitchell-Malm prompt that the one attainable change for 2026, which he deemed extraordinarily unlikely, could be if Hamilton’s 2025 season went terribly, main him to resolve that he might not proceed. He speculated that if Hamilton had been to be persistently outperformed by Charles Leclerc, he would possibly select to retire. In that case, Ferrari might doubtlessly look to usher in Oliver Bearman, particularly if the Ferrari junior had a standout season at Haas. Mitchell-Malm famous that such a situation would seemingly be essential to immediate a shake-up in Ferrari’s driver lineup.
Edd Straw agreed with Mitchell-Malm, stating that it was extremely unbelievable for the Ferrari lineup to not characteristic Hamilton and Leclerc.
Lewis Hamilton’s preliminary experiences with Ferrari are already shedding mild on the challenges he’ll face in 2025. His transfer to the staff has generated an incredible quantity of pleasure, with an estimated 3,000 followers attending his first check session at Fiorano. This stage of enthusiasm is barely anticipated to develop as Hamilton participates in further exams, main as much as the official launch of Ferrari’s 2025 automotive on February nineteenth. The anticipation will proceed to construct as the primary pre-season check in Bahrain approaches, giving followers their first take a look at the complete lineup of vehicles for the upcoming season.
As some of the standard drivers on the grid, Hamilton’s transition to Ferrari has attracted the eye of F1 followers around the globe. Many are desirous to see how he adapts to his new staff and the way the connection will develop between him and his race engineer, Riccardo Adami. Adami, identified for his success working with Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz, is anticipated to be a key determine in Hamilton’s 2025 marketing campaign. The 2 have already labored collectively throughout personal exams in Fiorano and Barcelona, and it’s anticipated that Riccardo Adami will probably be Hamilton’s major race engineer for the upcoming season.
Regardless of encountering a setback throughout the Barcelona check, Ferrari engineers reported that Hamilton’s impressions had been largely constructive. The suggestions signifies that Hamilton is adjusting properly to his new environment. He’s additionally scheduled to proceed testing this week, with a deal with evaluating the Pirelli tyres for the 2026 season, a important ingredient in getting ready for the challenges forward.