In one of the most surprising moves of the 2025 Formula 1 season, seven-time World Drivers’ Champion Lewis Hamilton has traded his long-standing home at Mercedes for the iconic red of Ferrari.
This shift has ignited discussions across the F1 world.
Many fans and pundits questioning how the legendary Brit will adapt to the pressures of Scuderia Ferrari, a team that has been chasing a championship for over two decades.
For Hamilton, who has achieved everything a driver could dream of with Mercedes—six world titles, multiple records, and a legacy that has redefined modern F1—Ferrari presents both a new challenge and an opportunity to create history.
His goal is clear: to secure an unprecedented eighth World Drivers’ Championship, cementing his legacy as the greatest F1 driver of all time.
However, Hamilton’s task won’t be easy. He joins Ferrari at a time when the team, despite significant strides, is still looking for the right formula to break their championship drought.
Alongside him will be Charles Leclerc, the talented young driver who has become one of Ferrari’s key hopes for the future.
Many see the pairing of Hamilton and Leclerc as a powerful combination that could once again push Ferrari to the pinnacle of the sport.
Steiner gives insights on Hamilton and Leclerc
In an interview with GPblog, former Haas F1 Team Principal Günther Steiner shared his thoughts on the dynamics of this new pairing at Ferrari.
According to Steiner, the relationship between Hamilton and Leclerc could prove to be beneficial not just for the team but for both drivers.
“If you’re a good driver at that level, you want the best driver as your teammate because that pushes you as well because you can,” Steiner explained.
He believes that this competition between two elite drivers will elevate their performances and help Ferrari’s overall development.
“Charles can learn the racing skills of Lewis. How to do things, how to manage it. Lewis can learn from Charles the whole speed because Charles is very good over one lap,” he said.
Will teamwork make the dream work?
The collaboration between the seasoned Hamilton and the fast, raw talent of Leclerc is expected to create a healthy rivalry.
Steiner pointed out that having a fast teammate benefits both drivers, as they can feed off each other’s data and insights to improve their setups and overall performance.
“You get a set of data from a very fast guy, it helps you a lot. If you’ve got a slow teammate, his setup will be different, everything will be different. If you’ve got a fast teammate, you just can get better and then what Lewis has got on his side is his experience of Formula One.
He makes very few mistakes, and if he makes them, he always has got his hand up hey, f*cked up,” Steiner remarked.
For Hamilton, one of his key advantages over Leclerc is his wealth of experience. As Steiner notes, “What Lewis has got on his side is his experience of Formula One.
He makes very few mistakes, and if he makes them, he always has got his hand up, ‘Hey, I f*cked up.’” This maturity could prove vital in the highly competitive environment at Ferrari,” he concluded.
Feature Image Credit: Haas F1 Media
