Formula 1 journalist Peter Windsor expects fireworks between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari. The 71-year-old analyst has often indicated that he places both drivers together with Max Verstappen in his top three, and therefore also expects that Leclerc and Hamilton will not differ much from each other. In the mutual battles, he mainly expects that Leclerc will not give an inch.
Windsor was pointed out during a livestream on YouTube that Leclerc had made many mistakes in the past. The Monegasque started the 2022 season energetically, but quickly lost his lead in the championship due to some strategic mistakes by the team and important individual mistakes. The 26-year-old driver crashed from a leading position in France, and he also made a mistake in Imola. ‘I think he has learned from 2022, and that he is a better driver now. He finished that year pretty well too,” Windsor notes.
Hamilton’s arrival is beneficial for Leclerc
The fact that Hamilton puts on a red suit in 2025 could suit Leclerc very well. Windsor notes that Leclerc now has to take charge of the Italian team, and that a certain pressure will be lifted from his shoulders in 2025. “Lewis’ presence at Ferrari will be so decisive that Charles will benefit from being on the quiet side of the garage,” the former Ferrari manager suspects. ‘He now knows that the most important thing is to just focus on his work and work with his engineers. “It’s fast enough to win races, and to win the championship, if the car is good enough.”
Hamilton will have his hands full with Leclerc
“I don’t expect Lewis to force Charles to make mistakes,” Windsor added. ‘I’m not saying that they won’t bump into each other and crash, for example at the start of the race. That can happen, especially if they have only just become teammates, just as it is now happening with Lewis and George (Russell, ed.). I don’t know whether Frédéric Vasseur can manage that situation better than Christian Horner or Toto Wolff. We’ll find out automatically. This will be the first time that Vasseur really finds himself in such a situation.’
“I don’t think they will give each other much space if they go side by side towards the first corner,” the Englishman laughs. ‘Leclerc will be even tougher now that Lewis is joining the team. This is ‘his’ period at Ferrari, and he will want to beat Hamilton. I don’t think he’s going to make stupid mistakes, but I do think he’s going to be very tough.’
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