One of the main storylines of the 2025 Formula 1 season is set to be the battle between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari.
If Ferrari manages to produce a car capable of winning races, then you can expect to see both drivers in the hunt as Hamilton attempts to achieve his eighth world title while Leclerc is going for his first after eight years on the grid.
The Briton has spent the last two months preparing for the season with Ferrari at their Maranello headquarters in Italy, embedding himself in one of F1’s unique teams as it is one of the few that is not based in the UK.
Hamilton has said his first days at Ferrari were ‘tough’ but has been embracing the fanfare around the move, with Hamilton claiming that he is ‘invigorated’ to start work with Ferrari.
Discussing the partnership between Leclerc and Hamilton on the Formula Fantasy Hub podcast, journalist Nate Saunders has explained one thing the Monogasque could do to receive a ‘favourable’ strategy from Ferrari in the races.
Charles Leclerc must out-qualify Lewis Hamilton for favourable strategy at Ferrari
It is common in F1 for teams to serve the lead car on track first during the pit stop phase, unless this will compromise the strategy of the other car.
Leclerc is expected to have the legs on Hamilton when it comes to one-lap pace, and this could make a big difference in qualifying and subsequently the races if Ferrari’s car is competitive.
“Over the summer break they made a lot of tweaks to procedures and their car, and by the end of the year they found that for the first time in a long time, they have a car that is very strong on a Saturday but is strongest on Sunday’s and it was always the other way around. That’s where the drivers were having to overdrive the car and there was more pressure on the strategy team,” said Saunders.
“So if Charles is qualifying well and the car is still a Sunday car, he’s in a great position and that will be big. If he’s beating Lewis in qualifying, the lead driver gets the favourable strategy.”
Fred Vasseur told what he must do with Lewis Hamilton as soon as possible
Hamilton has already impressed fans by speaking to them in Italian, telling them he is ‘excited’ and said a 14-word message.
Former Ferrari driver Jean Alesi has also spoken to people within the team, who told him Hamilton has ‘impressed everybody’ since he joined them in January.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory
Team principal Fred Vasseur has been told by Otmar Szafnauer that he must manage Hamilton’s change, because of how different the culture is for him.
It is the first time that Hamilton has driven with a team that is not based in the UK in his entire F1 career, so it will be fascinating to see how he handles the added media attention in Italy that comes with being a Ferrari driver.
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