Lewis Hamilton will move to Ferrari in 2025 and partner up with Charles Leclerc, who insists he is excited about the opportunity to drive alongside one of F1’s greatest ever. However, Leclerc will also face a challenge unlike ever before; certainly different to the four years he spent as Carlos Sainz‘s teammate.
Leclerc seems up for the challenge and the Monegasque spoke about the same in an interview, as reported by Planet F1. He said,
“It motivates me a lot to demonstrate what I am capable of, and I will be able to learn from one of the best drivers ever.”
Hamilton will certainly bring huge expectations with him to Maranello, as he looks to win the World Championship and at the same time, end Ferrari’s trophy drought.
Leclerc, over the years, has had an increasing pull within the team, but with Hamilton’s arrival, this could change.
#F1 | Charles Leclerc shares his overall feeling about Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari: “I’m really looking forward to it. Lewis is the most successful driver in F1 history and for me to be able to drive the same car as Lewis is first a huge opportunity to learn from the best ever… pic.twitter.com/GO6koRqTYO
— deni (@fiagirly) June 21, 2024
The possible shift in dynamics could play right into the conversations taking place currently. On the one hand, Ferrari has its prodigal son in Leclerc, who has been a beacon of hope for the Tifosi over the last few years. On the other, they will soon house the most successful driver in F1 history; one who is more than capable of bringing glory back to the stable.
As such, a former F1 Champion believes that Leclerc might not be too happy with how things could unfold in the coming months.
Charles Leclerc might not be too happy to have Lewis Hamilton join him
Having been a World Champion himself in 1997, Jacques Villeneuve understands how the dynamics play out behind-the-scenes within an F1 team. Hence, the former Williams driver predicts some instability in the Ferrari lineup once Hamilton joins.
Charles Leclerc: overrated or the real deal?
Jacques Villeneuve says Leclerc, not Lewis Hamilton, will be the driver under most pressure at Ferrari in 2025.#F1 #LewisHamilton #Ferrari pic.twitter.com/PTRuMMXAWf
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) April 16, 2024
Per Sports Illustrated, Villeneuve even found Leclerc’s contract extension curious. The rapid pace of the entire move had Villeneuve wondering if a faction had formed within Ferrari. As such, the 53-year-old believes that there could be two camps in the team.
One would side with Leclerc, who has been their star since 2019. The other, however, would defend new signing Hamilton. If that it is the case, it will be up to Team Principal Fred Vasseur to manage both drivers, and ensure Ferrari’s results on the track don’t get affected by the same.
