Hamilton warned of Leclerc F1 challenge in Ferrari ‘back garden’
Lewis Hamilton has been warned over facing a significant challenge
from Charles Leclerc when he joins Ferrari. The seven-time world
champion will bring his long-standing partnership with Mercedes to
end following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix later this year. Hamilton
has opted to join Ferrari and partner Charles Leclerc at the
Italian team as he commences a new career challenge. The move was
announced prior to the start of the ongoing F1 campaign with
Hamilton taking over the drive currently held by Carlos Sainz. It
is seen as a major signing for Ferrari, who has poached Hamilton
away from the Mercedes squad with whom he has scored six of his
seven F1 titles – however, the Brackley-based squad’s performance
has taken a downturn since the introduction of new technical
regulations in 2022. Ex-F1 driver Martin Donnelly highlighted the
move will have massive commercial benefits for Ferrari, away from
its on-track results. “It’s a great move for Ferrari,” Donnelly
exclusively told RacingNews365. “You’re bringing in over a billion
pounds in merchandising deals for the company. “Few people realise
just how much money they make from merchandise.” Hamilton is set to
take part in a private Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) outing with
Ferrari as his debut ahead of pre-season testing next year. The
Briton will be Leclerc’s third full-time team-mate at Ferrari
following stints alongside Sebastian Vettel and current seat-holder
Carlos Sainz. Leclerc has been part of the Ferrari organisation
since 2016 as a junior driver before debuting for the squad in
2019. Having long held a presence within the company, Donnelly
warned Hamilton that asserting himself as the lead driver will be
no simple task. “It will be good for the sport,” he said. “I don’t
think he’s going to walk into Leclerc’s back garden and nick his
football. It won’t be that easy. “But it’s good for the sport, it’s
good for the Tifosi who have got somebody else to cheer for. “For
him, maybe where he’s been at Mercedes for the last three years
with porpoising, in Interlagos they [still] had problems with that.
“But I think him going there is good for the sport, he opened eyes.
I don’t think that Leclerc will be an easy man to beat. He’s quick,
I’d say he’s equally as quick as Lewis on his day. “But for them,
hopefully for constructors’ points, we’ll see them at the front
along with Red Bull.”
from Charles Leclerc when he joins Ferrari. The seven-time world
champion will bring his long-standing partnership with Mercedes to
end following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix later this year. Hamilton
has opted to join Ferrari and partner Charles Leclerc at the
Italian team as he commences a new career challenge. The move was
announced prior to the start of the ongoing F1 campaign with
Hamilton taking over the drive currently held by Carlos Sainz. It
is seen as a major signing for Ferrari, who has poached Hamilton
away from the Mercedes squad with whom he has scored six of his
seven F1 titles – however, the Brackley-based squad’s performance
has taken a downturn since the introduction of new technical
regulations in 2022. Ex-F1 driver Martin Donnelly highlighted the
move will have massive commercial benefits for Ferrari, away from
its on-track results. “It’s a great move for Ferrari,” Donnelly
exclusively told RacingNews365. “You’re bringing in over a billion
pounds in merchandising deals for the company. “Few people realise
just how much money they make from merchandise.” Hamilton is set to
take part in a private Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) outing with
Ferrari as his debut ahead of pre-season testing next year. The
Briton will be Leclerc’s third full-time team-mate at Ferrari
following stints alongside Sebastian Vettel and current seat-holder
Carlos Sainz. Leclerc has been part of the Ferrari organisation
since 2016 as a junior driver before debuting for the squad in
2019. Having long held a presence within the company, Donnelly
warned Hamilton that asserting himself as the lead driver will be
no simple task. “It will be good for the sport,” he said. “I don’t
think he’s going to walk into Leclerc’s back garden and nick his
football. It won’t be that easy. “But it’s good for the sport, it’s
good for the Tifosi who have got somebody else to cheer for. “For
him, maybe where he’s been at Mercedes for the last three years
with porpoising, in Interlagos they [still] had problems with that.
“But I think him going there is good for the sport, he opened eyes.
I don’t think that Leclerc will be an easy man to beat. He’s quick,
I’d say he’s equally as quick as Lewis on his day. “But for them,
hopefully for constructors’ points, we’ll see them at the front
along with Red Bull.”
Fergal Walsh
Go to seatrade maritime