Ferrari could be heading for trouble with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc even before Formula 1 testing due to the tense internal dynamics between their two championship contenders.
Hamilton, 40, made the shock decision to leave behind Mercedes after 12 years with the team to join rivals Ferrari and pair up with Leclerc, 27, who is still waiting for his first world championship.
Speaking on the Total Motorsport F1 Show, motor racing expert Ewan Gale suggested that the Scuderia have put together a ‘dream team’ with Hamilton and Leclerc, but the pivot to making the seven-time champion their poster boy shows where their priorities lie.
“They were really clever with what they were doing, with Lewis standing in front of the windows with their titles,” Gale said, referring to Ferrari’s unveiling of Hamilton at their Maranello HQ.
“It was really clever marketing from Ferrari, and that was translated last week at the F1 75 Live show where Lewis was the main attraction. He got the biggest cheers from everyone and I think that’s what everyone is looking forward to most this season.
“Whether he’s [Leclerc] successful or not this season, I don’t think it matters too much really because all eyes are focused on Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time champion, so it’s the Ferrari dream team of F1.”
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Total Motorsport’s F1 expert Brandon Sutton reinforced the view that Hamilton’s marketable value was just as crucial to Ferrari as his racing craft.
“I think as far as Ferrari are concerned, considering when they signed him their stock went up by £7bn, they’ve already got what they wanted from him,” Sutton said.
“Now it’s whether he can keep up this speed. And if he’s even close to [Carlos] Sainz’s level, which he should be quicker than, it’ll work out fine for him really.”
‘Hamilton will thrive on Ferrari consistency’
The issue that dogged Ferrari for most of the 2024 season was their consistency, with Leclerc and Sainz winning two races apiece but finishing third and fifth respectively in the Drivers’ Championship. Gale thinks that Hamilton – who finished seventh in the standings – may fare better this year because the car’s performance does not deviate as much.
“We know how much Lewis has struggled with the tyres and how much he struggled with the car with this aerodynamic ruleset,” he added. “But the Ferrari has been a lot more consistent with how it performs than the Mercedes, so it will be interesting to see if he can get to grips with that and find a way around that.”
He added: “It’s easy to forget how strong Ferrari were towards the end of last season. You can get caught up in thinking it was a Red Bull title fight, but they were the ones actually pushing McLaren rather than Red Bull.
“McLaren had a headstart on Ferrari at the summer break, so is it that they won the Constructors Championship, but Ferrari are the form team going into the new season. Does that therefore give Lewis the platform to start the season strongly, get a bit confidence with the car and take the challenge to Leclerc?
“How’s that dynamic going to work? As we know, Leclerc’s very fast in qualifying. It’s going to be fascinating to see.”
