The influence of Charles Leclerc in Maranello may be affected by the arrival of Lewis Hamilton at Scuderia Ferrari in 2025. The Italian team took the opportunity to hire the British driver, which could have implications for Leclerc’s position within the team. A former F1 world champion emphasized the importance of the 2025 season for Leclerc.
The former champion compared George Russell’s move to Ferrari in 2019 with Hamilton’s move to Mercedes in 2022. According to the former champion, Russell did not receive the same champion status at Mercedes, while Leclerc was treated as the favorite driver at Ferrari, even though he was not a champion at that time.
Russell was brought to Mercedes not as a champion, but as a young driver who still needed to prove his worth. On the other hand, Leclerc joined Ferrari as a champion, even though he had not 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 so much pressure from his teammate this season. However, Leclerc will face an even greater challenge next year when competing against Hamilton.
Leclerc will need to improve his performance this year to reaffirm his position as the team leader in Maranello. He must surpass Hamilton from the beginning of next year to ensure that he is not overshadowed by his teammate, the world champion, at Scuderia Ferrari in the future.
