Ex-F1 driver claims Charles Leclerc ‘will be faster’ than Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

Marc Surer is a former F1 driver and TV pundit Marc Surer believes that the Briton would find it difficult to beat Charles Leclerc and a repeat of Schumacher and Rosberg could happen

Ex-F1 driver claims Charles Leclerc ‘will be faster’ than Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc (Via IMAGO)

The news of Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes to join the prancing horses was revealed almost a week ago, but the news is still trundling waves in the F1 community. Former Swiss F1 driver Marc Surer has warned the Briton about his future teammate Charles Leclerc and the possibility of him getting beaten by Monegasque.

The Swiss driver has 82 race starts accredited to his name and is well experienced. He believes that the 39-year-old seven-time champion would face tough competition just like how Michael Schumacher was no way near the young gun of Nico Rosberg. He is skeptical about how people perceive the Englishman’s move to the Scuderia.

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Leclerc is a big problem for [Lewis Hamilton] because Leclerc will be faster. Anything else would surprise me. It reminds me a bit of the situation with Michael Schumacher during his comeback with Mercedes. A certain Nico Rosberg put him in his place. And Lewis Hamilton could feel the same way.
Marc Surer on Hamiltons move to Ferrari, via formulapassion.it

In the case of Schumacher and Rosberg, though the former had 7 titles to his name, he was dominated by his teammate, the same could happen with Hamilton. The Briton has been on his top form for quite a while; only a few teammates have been ever able to beat him over a season. Ferrari’s golden boy seemingly can beat Hamilton, according to the Swiss F1 pundit.

How will Lewis Hamilton’s move affect Mercedes?

Mercedes had dominated the support in the turbo-hybrid era of F1 with an astonishing 8 consecutive constructor championship wins and 7 driver championship wins. The Brackley-based team had arguably the best driver pairing on the current F1 grid with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. However, this will not remain the case from the 2025 season onwards.

Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton
Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton (Via: Imago)

The German manufacturer has lost a big name in the sport to their close rivals. Hamilton’s name was an asset as it brought multiple brand collaborations to Mercedes and made them money. Now the Mercedes board is faced with a tough decision to fill the second seat in the team.

They have a lot of options on the table and it would be a tough choice to choose one. Many suggest that Sebastian Vettel should be brought back from his retirement, while others believe the outgoing Carlos Sainz would be a great alternative. Whoever the team chooses to be its second driver, it would be impossible to fill the void that the Briton has left.

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