Charles Leclerc, a constant for Ferrari, faces the biggest test of his F1 career: Lewis Hamilton

New York Times

21-02-2025

Ferrari's 2025 Formula One driver lineup commands attention.
The O2 roared to life on Tuesday night as the three individuals dressed in red walked on stage. On the left of team principal Fred Vasseur was the team's future, Charles Leclerc, who has called Ferrari his home since joining the team in 2016 as part of its driver academy. And on Vasseur's right walked seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, the newest addition to the legendary team.
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Ferrari always garners attention, but this new chapter with Hamilton has raised it to another level. All eyes are watching how one of the biggest names in racing will adapt to Ferrari, considering it's his first team change since he left McLaren for Mercedes in 2013.
But in the next garage over is a driver who could disrupt Hamilton's bid for a record eighth world championship.
Leclerc, 27, has been a constant for Ferrari and showed what he could do with a competitive car, though one that he said 'needed more performance.' With three wins, three pole positions and 13 podium finishes to his name in 2024, the Ferrari driver came within 18 points of Lando Norris, who many people described as in a title fight with Max Verstappen.
But considering Hamilton's talent and experience and a car that's an 'extension of 2024,' according to Vasseur, can Leclerc hold his own and beat his new teammate — and even throw his hat in the ring for the world championship?
'As a driver, I've got full trust in my ability. Having said that, it's very difficult because I haven't had any comparison with Lewis in the same car at the same time,' Leclerc said. 'It's a huge challenge, probably one of the biggest of my career.
'To have him as my teammate is a really, really big motivation for me to learn from him, but also to show what I'm capable of, and that motivates me.'
Leclerc's talents have always been captivating, though not error-free.
He safely secured the 2016 GP3 title (beating Alex Albon by 25 points) and won the Formula Two championship in his inaugural season a year later, this time by a safe 72 points. He entered F1 the following season, racing for Sauber before Ferrari brought him on in 2019 as Sebastian Vettel's teammate.
Those weren't exactly Ferrari's golden years, as its last constructors' title came in 2008 and drivers' championship the year before. While teams such as Mercedes thrived, Ferrari struggled with its car, ending 2019 second but 235 points behind Mercedes and finishing in sixth place in 2020 (the season that saw engine rule changes).
The team's performance may have plummeted, but Leclerc quickly rose, beating Vettel in both seasons they were teammates. Carlos Sainz, who started with Ferrari in 2021, was a closer competitor at times — the two finished six points apart in 2023, the year Sainz secured the season's only non-Red Bull win.
Team mistakes, driver errors, reliability issues and other mishaps outside his control happen, but looking at the bigger picture (rather than zooming in season-by-season) reveals Leclerc has held an edge over his Ferrari teammates.
The question is how Hamilton and Leclerc will fare. They have yet to drive on track against each other in equal machinery, which makes it difficult to judge in these early stages. The two have undergone testing during the offseason and had the shakedown of Ferrari's SF-25 car at its Fiorano Circuit on Wednesday. It won't be until Australia for the season opener that we'll see how the two compare, as teams split their drivers' preseason testing shifts at Bahrain between one car.
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But early signs indicate there are similarities between Leclerc and the 40-year-old Briton.
'Something I noticed — we have a very similar driving style, which is a really good thing because I'm pretty sure we will need similar things from the car. At least, these are my initial feelings,' Leclerc said. 'Still to be confirmed because we haven't driven that much together, but the little I've seen is that we tend to drive quite similarly.'
Having complementary driving styles will inevitably be helpful. Teams can see differences in the data and from the simulator, but some aspects of what the driver is feeling in the car cannot be replicated. Receiving similar feedback from both drivers could help Ferrari save time determining which development path to take, particularly since the regulations change in 2026 and all teams must shift their focus before the season's end. Plus, that development suiting both Leclerc and Hamilton could help Ferrari contend for the title in a competitive-looking grid.
'One of the most important aspects of the driver feedback on the car is effectively describing the limitation of the car on tracks and describing what it needs to go faster. So, most of the development nowadays is done virtually. And the virtual is not the real,' said Loic Serra, Ferrari's chassis technical director.
'This element of what do we need to do to make the car faster, which is pretty much the human, maybe the human can describe this. This is a thing where we can extract most from the driver itself.'
Many factors impact whether a team or a driver can win either title. Last season, Ferrari had an engine reliability issue in Canada and an upgrade misstep in Spain. By Monza, it was on the right track and competitive — but, as Leclerc pointed out, 'We were just not competitive enough for too big of a part of the season.'
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The goal is to build on last year's momentum and start this season on the right foot, fighting and being 'on par, at least, with the guys in the front.' This season's grid is anticipated to be tight, with razor-thin margins. Abu Dhabi qualifying was close, and although teams will have made changes to their cars (some more than others), many expect to pick up where F1 left off in December.
'At the end of 2023, we knew which characteristics of the car we wanted to tackle because there were some issues that were very clear and that we had to change,' Leclerc said. 'In 2024, it was a very different situation because the car was very healthy in general. Just when we had the upgrade problem, there were some things that we wanted to change, but after that, we've had a very good car.
'We just needed more performance. So that's where we focus, really, for this new car — to do small steps in every single thing and not focusing on one particular thing.'
Whether Ferrari can contend for the constructors' championship also impacts Leclerc's chances at making a run for the drivers' title. Leclerc can see multiple drivers vying for the drivers' championship if the season is as close as anticipated.
'But, of course, I believe in myself,' Leclerc added.
There may be a buzz around Maranello with Hamilton's arrival, but Leclerc is focusing on himself and controlling what he can, not changing his approach. He feels ready to fight for the title, but as he noted, 'Only time will tell.' After having 'too many wasted opportunities where I wanted to try and do a miracle instead of taking some very big points home and just accepting that the performance was not there to win or to do a podium' in 2023, Leclerc 'changed quite a lot' with his approach heading into last season.
Looking at 2024, he feels 'there haven't been many weekends where I've left something on the table.' Now, he's 'fine-tuning' the details for 2025, such as how he works with his engineer. And he's noted how his new teammate approaches things.
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'It's super cool to analyze how he works day to day with his engineers. What are the comments that he makes? What are the things that he takes, where he puts particular attention? It's been a very successful approach,' Leclerc said. 'He's the most successful driver in Formula One so I've been trying to learn as much as I can from Lewis in this first few weeks.'
The same is happening in the other garage. Hamilton has seen how Leclerc operates in the Ferrari family that's been his home for nearly a decade, and acknowledges that the Monegasque won't be easy to beat.
'Charles, we've got a great relationship. I'm just trying to observe how he works. He's very, very professional. He's well-loved within this team, super comfortable, he jumps in and he's on it straightaway,' Hamilton said. 'He's very fast. You've seen his qualifying laps that he's put in, put great races together. I told you in Bahrain, him, many years ago that he's got such a bright future ahead of him.'
There's a 13-year age gap between Hamilton and Leclerc, and the Briton is heading into his 19th season. Is Leclerc's bright future on hold with Hamilton on board? How Ferrari handles the driver dynamic will be a talking point and Hamilton isn't writing off Leclerc's talent.
'He's very mature for a 27-year-old, probably more mature than I was at 27. It is not going to be easy to beat him, especially in his home. But we'll work together and collaborate to make sure the car is working and the team is moving forward.'