Lewis Hamilton – Charles Leclerc: risks and opportunities of Ferrari's "partnership of the century"
Yesterday at 09:35 AM
Ferrari is looking to the future and the wait is almost over. In just a few weeks, we will witness the much-anticipated event announced last February. Of course, we are talking about Lewis Hamilton's debut in red, which will likely take place on a TPC programme, namely a Testing of Previous Car from Maranello at the Fiorano home circuit. Such feverish anticipation has not been seen in thirty years, not since Michael Schumacher's debut in the Ferrari 412T2 on November 16, 1995. Before that, the focus was on Alain Prost, who joined as the reigning world champion.
After Sebastian Vettel, the Prancing Horse will have another multiple world champion in its ranks. Unlike his predecessors, except for “The Professor”, Lewis Hamilton will find a team that has made constant technical progress over the last two years and has realistic championship ambitions. Essentially, the historic Maranello team is not seeking a savior to compensate for a lack of technical certainty, as it has in the past. Instead, Lewis Hamilton is expected to be the cherry on top, an added value to a team already capable of winning and fighting for ambitious, victory-focused goals.
However, Frederic Vasseur has refuted this idea, stating that the extensive high-level experience of the Anglo-Caribbean driver will also be crucial for the 2026 Formula 1 championship. According to the French manager, internal competition could also benefit Charles Leclerc. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion's move to Maranello is a highly significant media event, one that risks overshadowing the historic team’s goals for the upcoming campaign. This is the situation's inherent risk.
Beyond the arrival of the English champion, the Maranello team must complete its growth curve, aiming to fight for both championship titles until the very end. After all, the historic Italian team boasts one of the grid's fastest drivers, who demonstrated last season the maturity necessary to aim for any goal. This, of course, refers to Charles Leclerc, who, in the second half of last season, scored more points than any of his colleagues, though not without some regrets, such as the unfortunate Singapore weekend.
Therefore, the savior expected to bring Ferrari back to the top of the world may not necessarily be the seven-time English world champion. Indeed, Charles Leclerc's recent multi-year renewal with the team is tangible proof that the Monegasque represents the present and long-term future of the Italian squad. Given this, the next season must be Ferrari's season, not necessarily Lewis Hamilton's, even if the partnership between the British superstar and the historic Italian team fuels the allure of a singular possible ending.
Former Ferrari president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo perfectly summarized the risks and opportunities of the “partnership of the century.” The Italian described Lewis Hamilton as a phenomenon, comparable to Max Verstappen, emphasizing that his arrival at Ferrari was not a marketing strategy but a clear intention to conclude his career by winning with the Maranello team. The former Ferrari president acknowledged the choice as a risk, noting that they had brought in a champion with a history of significant victories, who joined Ferrari with the same goal. At the same time, the Italian highlighted that Charles Leclerc was performing well, though he had yet to secure a win.
These were the words of Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, the last president to lead the Italian team to the top of the world. The goal for the next Formula 1 season is clear: winning beyond any allure. The happy ending doesn't have to be Lewis Hamilton's eighth world title but Ferrari's sixteenth drivers' championship. If the two objectives align, no one will complain. But the important thing, as we have reiterated, remains one and the same: to be in front of everyone.
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