Ferrari is ready to discipline one of the vital thrilling driver pairings in Method 1 historical past with the addition of Lewis Hamilton alongside Charles Leclerc for the 2025 season.
Lewis Hamilton, who’s in pursuit of an unprecedented eighth drivers’ championship, has joined one of the vital formidable groups within the sport in hopes of attaining his ambition. The Maranello crew, having narrowly missed out on ending a 16-year championship drought by simply 14 factors final season, might now have the sting they should safe a title, with the British driver probably offering the ultimate piece of the puzzle.
Nevertheless, Ferrari faces a major problem in designing Lewis Hamilton’s 2025 automobile, having opted to desert their earlier automobile idea in favor of a wholly new design. This transfer comes forward of the 2026 F1 rules and, whereas dangerous within the quick time period, is a daring and strategic determination that underscores their dedication to creating this season a hit.
This new strategy additionally presents a problem for Charles Leclerc, who should adapt to the revamped machine whereas concurrently coping with the strain of being alongside a seven-time world champion within the crew. The dynamic inside the storage is ready to be fiercely aggressive.
The final time Ferrari’s two drivers confronted such shut inside competitors was throughout Charles Leclerc’s debut season in 2019, the place, regardless of Hamilton securing his fifth championship that 12 months, the Monegasque driver outqualified him by two pole positions.
Dutch former racing driver and broadcaster Giedo van der Garde believes Lewis Hamilton stands to realize priceless insights from his new teammate, notably on condition that qualifying—historically a power of the British driver—has typically been a weaker space for him in comparison with his youthful teammate. Lewis Hamilton is already working to shut this hole in his preparation, however one pre-season won’t erase Charles Leclerc’s six years of Ferrari expertise. The 2 drivers are anticipated to be evenly matched on observe, and Peter Windsor dismisses any notion of Ferrari implementing crew orders after the Monaco Grand Prix as fully unfounded.
The previous Ferrari and Williams crew supervisor said that he believed the concept was “completely nonsense” and expressed doubt that Ferrari would implement such a measure. He urged that if anybody, together with Ferrari, claimed they might, they might be deceptive folks. He firmly dismissed the concept as “full nonsense.”
The Method 1 journalist additional argued that it might be extremely unlikely for the Maranello crew to implement such a coverage at Monaco, emphasizing that it didn’t make sense. He posed a hypothetical state of affairs by which Lewis gained the primary 4 Grands Prix, adopted by an official announcement in Monaco naming him the crew’s primary driver. He questioned whether or not this might imply that if Charles had been about to win the British Grand Prix with Lewis in second and Lando in third, Charles can be anticipated to decelerate within the ultimate lap to permit Hamilton to take the victory. He expressed confidence that such a state of affairs wouldn’t happen.
Piero Ferrari, the second and solely dwelling son of Enzo Ferrari, has urged that Charles Leclerc could also be going through a “generational challenge” in his rivalry with Lewis Hamilton, highlighting the numerous age hole of 12 years between the 2 Ferrari drivers. This distinction in age interprets to a wealth of expertise and perception that Hamilton brings to the desk, probably placing Leclerc at a drawback.
Ferrari, nonetheless, sees the matchup between Leclerc and Hamilton as one the place each drivers will possess distinct strengths, with every providing distinctive benefits in numerous areas. This dynamic has sparked pleasure amongst followers, particularly after Ferrari’s promotion that showcased Hamilton and Leclerc collectively for the primary time, each sporting the enduring crimson Ferrari gear.
The thrill surrounding this pairing emphasizes the extreme anticipation for the competitors that’s anticipated to unfold between the 2, starting on the Australian Grand Prix in March. Followers eagerly await the beginning of what guarantees to be an exciting season, the place the 2 drivers will go head-to-head.
Earlier than the racing motion kicks off, the duo may have their first alternative to expertise the SF-25 on the Fiorano take a look at observe on February 19. This shall be adopted by the official pre-season testing in Bahrain, which can happen only one week later, permitting each drivers to fine-tune their preparations forward of the season opener.