Charles Leclerc’s influence at Maranello could be affected by Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Scuderia Ferrari in 2025. The Italian team took the opportunity to sign the British driver, which could have implications for Leclerc’s position within the team. A former F1 world champion has emphasized the significance of the 2025 season for Leclerc.
The former champion compared George Russell’s move to Ferrari in 2019 to Hamilton’s move to Mercedes in 2022. According to the former champion, Russell was not given the same status as a champion by Mercedes, whereas Leclerc was treated as the favored driver at Ferrari despite not being a champion at that time.
Russell was brought to Mercedes not as a champion, but as a young driver who still had to prove himself. On the other hand, Leclerc joined Ferrari as a champion even though he hadn’t won a title yet.
Furthermore, the former champion pointed out that it was Russell who won a race for Ferrari last season, not Leclerc. This highlights the importance of power dynamics within Maranello for Leclerc in the upcoming season, rather than for Hamilton.
Carlos Sainz has had a strong performance in the 2024 season so far, showing his determination after being replaced by Hamilton for 2025. However, Leclerc has struggled to match Sainz’s results in the first four races.
Former F1 driver Vitantonio Liuzzi acknowledged that it was unexpected to see Leclerc facing such pressure from his teammate this season. However, Leclerc will face an even tougher challenge next year when competing against Hamilton.
Leclerc will need to improve his performance this year to reaffirm his position as the team leader at Maranello. He must outshine Hamilton from the beginning of next year to ensure that he is not overshadowed by his world-champion teammate at Scuderia Ferrari in the future.