Ferrari is ready to discipline one of the thrilling driver pairings in System 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 formidable groups within the sport in hopes of attaining his ambition. The Maranello workforce, 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 doubtlessly 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 brief 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 stress of being alongside a seven-time world champion within the workforce. The dynamic throughout 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 achieve priceless insights from his new teammate, significantly provided 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 workforce orders after the Monaco Grand Prix as fully unfounded.
The previous Ferrari and Williams workforce supervisor acknowledged that he believed the concept was “completely nonsense” and expressed doubt that Ferrari would implement such a measure. He prompt that if anybody, together with Ferrari, claimed they’d, they’d be deceptive individuals. He firmly dismissed the concept as “full nonsense.”
The System 1 journalist additional argued that it will be extremely unlikely for the Maranello workforce to implement such a coverage at Monaco, emphasizing that it didn’t make sense. He posed a hypothetical situation wherein Lewis gained the primary 4 Grands Prix, adopted by an official announcement in Monaco naming him the workforce’s primary driver. He questioned whether or not this could imply that if Charles had been about to win the British Grand Prix with Lewis in second and Lando in third, Charles could be anticipated to decelerate within the remaining 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 residing son of Enzo Ferrari, has prompt that Charles Leclerc could also be going through a “generational situation” 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, doubtlessly 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 carrying the enduring purple Ferrari gear.
The excitement 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 exhilarating season, the place the 2 drivers will go head-to-head.
Earlier than the racing motion kicks off, the duo can have their first alternative to expertise the SF-25 on the Fiorano take a look at observe on February 19. This might be adopted by the official pre-season testing in Bahrain, which is able to happen only one week later, permitting each drivers to fine-tune their preparations forward of the season opener.