Why is Charles Leclerc confident over matching Lewis Hamilton as teammates at Ferrari?
Charles Leclerc has not seemed concerned regarding the challenge of matching Lewis Hamilton at Scuderia Ferrari next year.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton (via IMAGO)
Scuderia Ferrari made headlines by signing Lewis Hamilton for 2025. The seven-time world champion finally decided to end his decade-long journey with Mercedes for a new challenge. Hamilton will go up against Charles Leclerc as his teammate at Maranello. It seems that Leclerc is confident that he can match the Briton from the get-go.
Charles Leclerc is looking forward to finally competing against the seven-time world champion in equal machinery. Recently, the Monegasque driver even asserted that there would be no question marks over his pace compared to Lewis Hamilton from next season.
Leclerc is one of the best drivers on the current F1 grid. However, it is no easy feat to match a driver like Lewis Hamilton. However, there is one aspect that will likely give Charles Leclerc an advantage against the 39-year-old.
Lewis Hamilton needs to adapt to Charles Leclerc’s team
Charles Leclerc is often considered as Ferrari’s golden boy. The 26-year-old received the biggest contract in the Scuderia’s history back in 2019, something which was not even achieved by Michael Schumacher. Throughout the past five years, Leclerc has built the team around him.
On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton will be leaving Mercedes after over a decade, a team which he had built around himself. The seven-time world champion will face a culture shock once he joins Maranello and could take some time to adjust to the environment. Although, Hamilton understands this aspect and is reportedly going to take Italian lessons.
Additionally, Ferrari’s car has been shaped according to Leclerc’s feedback over the years. Hamilton might to learn how to drive the car during the first couple of races before his feedback could translate to the car’s characteristics.
Charles Leclerc knows that if he fails to match or outperform Hamilton from the start, he risks losing equal status to the seven-time world champion. Ferrari could quickly shift its focus onto Lewis Hamilton if it sees that the Briton is exceeding expectations. However, for the early part of 2025, such a scenario is highly unlikely.
Certainly, matching Lewis Hamilton would not be an easy task for Charles Leclerc. The 26-year-old will need to push himself to the limit to prove himself to his team once again. Nevertheless, it seems that Leclerc is not losing sleep over the potential challenge he faces next year.
Armaan Agarwal
(2040 Articles Published)