The start of the 2025 Formula One season is right around the corner, and there are many storylines for fans to follow, from whether Max Verstappen will get a fifth championship to whether the McLaren team will be as competitive as they were last year. However, one storyline I will follow closely is the battle at Ferrari, with the addition of Lewis Hamilton to the team.
Lewis Hamilton is the only Black driver to compete in Formula One and holds seven drivers’ championship trophies, tied for the most with Michael Schumacher. Hamilton has won several awards and has broken numerous records. He has spent most of his career with Mercedes AMG, but it was announced last year he was joining Ferrari. This is the first time Hamilton has switched teams, since 2013 when he left McLaren for Mercedes.
Ferrari is the oldest and most successful team on the grid. They have had many champions, including Schumacher and now Hamilton. Although Hamilton is a proven champion, he will not be the lead driver at Ferrari this season.
Charles Leclerc is the other driver at Ferrari this season, and he has been with the team since 2019 and signed a contract extension in 2024 for an undisclosed number of years. While with the team, Leclerc has never finished below the top 10 in the drivers’ championship. In his six years in Formula One, Leclerc has only been beaten by his teammate in the final standings once. This includes Sebastian Vettel, a four-time world champion. Leclerc has also won Ferrari's home race, the Italian Grand Prix, twice, and earned himself the nickname “il Predestinato” which is Italian for “The Predestined.” Ferrari fans believe Leclerc is meant to be the next champion for Ferrari.
If someone were to compare Hamilton's and Leclerc's Formula One careers, of course, Hamilton statistically has had the better career. Hamilton has more experience in the sport than Leclerc. This past season was not Hamilton's best season; he was out-qualified and out-raced by his teammate George Russell. It is a new season with a new team and new car, so his outcomes this season should be different. However, with Leclerc's history with the team, it is hard to believe he won’t be the lead driver this season.
Last week was the preseason testing for all the teams. In this testing, Hamilton was only slower than Leclerc on one of the days. But testing doesn’t always guarantee success in the regular season. The first race of the season is March 16 in Australia. At this race, fans will gauge a true understanding of the cars, and which driver may come out on top.
At the end of the day, Leclerc and Hamilton are both amazing drivers racing for a historic team. The battle between the two this season will be interesting to watch on and off the track. Hamilton is potentially nearing the end of his career and driving for Ferrari is every driver's dream, like Sebastian Vettel once said “Everyone is a Ferrari fan. Even if they say they’re not, they are Ferrari fans.”
Cassie is a junior studying communications at Ohio University. Please note the views expressed in this column do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Cassie? Email her at cb086021@ohio.edu.
