Lewis Hamilton faces a fierce battle with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari (Image: Getty)
steward Johnny Herbert has warned about ’s attitude heading into their first season as team-mates. The star won’t ‘be afraid’ of his seven-time world champion colleague and will be ready for ‘hostilities to commence’.
Up until now, Leclerc and Hamilton have enjoyed a harmonious relationship and were often spotted chatting in the paddock or during parade laps in 2024. However, given ’s competitive end to last season, it is feasible that the pair could be fighting for a Drivers’ Championship title in 2025.
For both drivers, this would be an invaluable opportunity. Hamilton is still searching for his eighth Drivers’ Championship crown after losing out to in 2021, while Leclerc has demonstrated in recent seasons that he would be a fitting champion if he had the necessary machinery underneath him.
Previewing the intra-team fight at , Herbert told Plejmo.com: “Charles is not going to hold back. When [Sebastian] Vettel went there as a four-time World Champion, Charles came in and nicked the team off Sebastian.
“He is not going to be afraid of Lewis. He will be aware and respectful, and he knows he will be a threat. But he is going to make sure he will be very much on top of his game when hostilities commence. Charles has come on in a long way this year. The challenge will raise him to the level that he and needs.”
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Leclerc will be a formidable team-mate for Hamilton (Image: Getty)
Given his qualifying struggles against in 2024, Hamilton will need to take a step forward to be competitive against Leclerc in his debut season for the Scuderia. The 40-year-old enjoyed his first day at Maranello on Monday and is bracing for an extensive testing programme in the coming weeks.
Hamilton will drive machinery for the first time later this week at the team’s Fiorano test track, ahead of a private test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya later this month. The Brit will then get his first taste of the 2025 challenger at pre-season testing in February.
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The Brit is ready for the challenge, too. “There are some days that you know you’ll remember forever and today, my first as a driver, is one of those days,” he posted on .
“I’ve been lucky enough to have achieved things in my career I never thought possible, but part of me has always held on to that dream of racing in red. I couldn’t be happier to realise that dream today. Today we start a new era in the history of this iconic team, and I can’t wait to see what story we will write together.”