Fred Vasseur does not expect Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to be best friends when they team up at Ferrari next year and will ban them from going on holiday together. The seven-time world champion has enjoyed harmonious relationships with his previous two team-mates, but the five-time Grand Prix winner will prove a much tougher rival.
Hamilton dominated the intra-team battle with Valtteri Bottas and has turned in some impressive performances relative to George Russell, but when he comes up against one of F1’s strongest qualifiers in Leclerc, fans are anticipating a closely fought encounter.
Vasseur, for one, will be hoping that this competition will not boil over and produce a toxic working environment at Maranello. Hamilton has experienced this previously with both Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg, and in both instances, one driver opted to remove themselves from the situation.
Speaking to La Repubblica about his drivers for 2025, Vasseur said: “I never ask my drivers to be best friends or go on vacation together, I don’t do that with my colleagues to work better.
“There is just a need to have a frank relationship full of mutual respect, I think between the two of them this is established, I don’t see any clouds in the sky. They have already started to be a little closer these last two months, it’s a training period like a honeymoon. I would say so far so good. »
Both Hamilton and Leclerc find themselves in interesting spots as they prepare to combine forces in 2025. The former spent the majority of his glittering F1 career fighting for wins and World Championships, but Mercedes’ continued struggles have triggered his worst start to a campaign to date.
Leclerc, meanwhile, has seen his dominance challenged by a resurgent Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard was axed to make room for Hamilton’s arrival but has struck back with a vengeance and sits just 15 points behind his team-mate, despite missing the second race of the year in Saudi Arabia.
Vasseur hopes that Hamilton’s arrival at Maranello will rejuvenate the entire squad. “Fresh blood in the system,” he explained when asked what the legendary Brit will bring. “I know his professionalism, not that our drivers don’t have it, but Lewis has a different view of things and we can benefit from that.
“With Fernando Alonso, he is one of the most experienced drivers on the grid, the most successful, he has the most experience in the field and also in winning championships. He will certainly bring speed to the track but not only that. He will also contribute with his knowledge outside the car, on how to approach the weekend.”
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