One of the biggest reasons why F1 fans are already looking forward to the 2025 season is Lewis Hamilton’s impending move to Ferrari. Not only will he not race for Mercedes after more than a decade, but he will also join arguably the most revered team in the sport. Another intriguing factor is how he would get along with his new teammate Charles Leclerc.
Given the way the Maranello-based team has performed in 2024, there is good reason to expect similar performance in 2025. With Red Bull’s advantage fading away, Hamilton and Leclerc might have a shot at the championship. That could be the reason why Helmut Marko wants to see how the relationship between the Ferrari duo pans out.
“In terms of drivers, Ferrari will be stronger next year, although I’m curious to see whether they will have great harmony in the team,” Marko told oe24.
There is good reason why Marko is skeptical about how Leclerc and Hamilton will work together as going by F1’s track record, drivers often have run-ins when vying for the championship. If Ferrari can give Hamilton and Leclerc a title-worthy car, one cannot rule out tussles between them.
Helmut Marko is interested to see how Leclerc/Hamilton will be at Ferrari next year
“In terms of drivers, Ferrari will be stronger next year, although I’m curious to see whether they will have great harmony in the team.”
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Taking Hamilton’s example, the Briton got along well with Nico Rosberg when he first joined Mercedes. However, when Mercedes emerged as a dominant force one year later in the hybrid engine era, both drivers often raced hard against each other, even crashing multiple times.
Before that, Hamilton shared a similar relationship with Fernando Alonso when the two were teammates at McLaren in 2007. That season proved to be a regret for both drivers as they both missed out on the championship by one point to Kimi Raikkonen, who took advantage of the intra-team rivalry at McLaren.
Leclerc might break Hamilton’s poor track record with teammates
Hamilton did not face much competition from Valtteri Bottas for the title after Rosberg’s departure. In turn, the duo shared cordial relations, which they continue to do to this day. The seven-time champion did not face much hostility with George Russell either. The reason for that was Mercedes’ inability to fight for the championship.
While that dynamic could change at Ferrari, Leclerc’s track record proves otherwise. The Monegasque has enjoyed jovial relations with every teammate he’s had in F1 so far.
He has had rare incidents of friction with Carlos Sainz and the duo continue to share a friendly camaraderie. The recently concluded Las Vegas GP may have been an outlier, though.
Another reason why a tussle between Hamilton and Leclerc is unlikely is the respect they share for each other. Leclerc on multiple occasions has discussed how much he is looking forward to learning from Hamilton.
