Charles Leclerc heads into the 2025 System 1 season in an intriguing place. Whereas Ferrari is on the focus, a lot of the highlight is targeted elsewhere—on Lewis Hamilton’s high-profile arrival. Having spent 17 seasons in F1 and secured seven world championships, Hamilton isn’t any stranger to being within the thick of the motion. Nonetheless, regardless of Hamilton’s expertise and accolades, he now faces one of the crucial formidable challenges of his profession in Leclerc—even when the Monegasque driver has solely eight Grand Prix victories to his title.
The previous Alfa Romeo driver’s energy lies not simply in uncooked expertise however in his deep-rooted reference to Ferrari. Other than his rookie 12 months with Sauber, he has spent the previous six seasons refining his abilities inside probably the most historic workforce in F1. Over that point, he established himself by outpacing four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and proving his value as Ferrari’s main driver. When workforce principal Frédéric Vasseur orchestrated Hamilton’s transfer to Ferrari, it was clear that Leclerc—not Carlos Sainz—was the teammate he needed alongside the British celebrity.
Fred Vasseur has carried out important structural adjustments at Ferrari, a lot of which have straight benefited Charles Leclerc. Former F1 champion Nico Rosberg credited Fred Vasseur’s management as a vital consider Charles Leclerc’s 2024 Monza victory, highlighting how the workforce’s enhancements have elevated his efficiency.
Now, in line with journalist Matteo Novembrini, the French supervisor has gone even additional by refining how Charles Leclerc approaches every Grand Prix. When requested in regards to the changes made since changing Mattia Binotto, Matteo Novembrini pointed to at least one key space of enchancment—Ferrari’s apply session group. Underneath Fred Vasseur’s management, the workforce has restructured its apply applications, optimizing automobile setup time and fine-tuning methods tailor-made to Leclerc’s driving type. This shift ensures he’s higher ready for every race weekend, maximizing his capacity to extract efficiency from the automobile and problem on the entrance.
Matteo Novembrini offered additional particulars, explaining that this 12 months, adjustments have been evident within the operations on observe. He talked about that Vasseur had fostered a shift in methodology, making a mentality extra targeted on race preparation. He pointed to free apply periods for instance, recalling how Leclerc, when making a mistake throughout FP2 on a Friday, would repeatedly ask to strive once more. In keeping with Novembrini, in earlier years, if a mistake occurred, after two makes an attempt, the workforce would swap to specializing in the race setup, whereas below Vasseur, there was a stronger emphasis on race points ranging from Friday itself.
The Italian journalist additionally famous that when a driver made a mistake with the mistaken tire set, there was a noticeable consciousness throughout the workforce. He appreciated Vasseur’s method, because the workforce chief acknowledged Ferrari’s shortcomings, significantly in understanding and addressing their very own errors. Fred Vasseur’s management, Novembrini noticed, was geared toward eradicating sure previous mindsets throughout the workforce. Whereas there had been personnel adjustments, the workforce had not undergone an entire overhaul.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have already begun conversations about Ferrari’s path to success, with each drivers aligning on a standard aim. Nonetheless, it’s clear that Leclerc’s rising star just isn’t far behind Hamilton by way of consideration, and may the 27-year-old begin outperforming the 40-year-old, the focus will doubtless shift in his path.
Reaching this gained’t be a easy activity, and Hamilton will likely be hoping that final season’s disappointment—being outscored by his teammate George Russell—is solely a one-off anomaly relatively than the start of a regarding pattern.
Regardless of the aggressive edge Hamilton brings, each he and Leclerc have been engaged in discussions about how to make sure Ferrari’s success shifting ahead. Whereas their goals align, the methods to attain these objectives stay a topic of curiosity.
Leclerc has lengthy been recognized for his distinctive one-lap tempo, and with Vasseur’s changes to the apply schedules, there may be potential for the Monegasque driver to additional improve his race-day efficiency. If Leclerc can study to duplicate the consistency proven by seasoned drivers like Hamilton and Max Verstappen on Sundays, there may be each cause to imagine that he might develop into one of many prime contenders for the 2025 System 1 World Championship.
Purchase official Ferrari F1 merchandise!
Let different Scuderia Followers find out about us
