Sebastian Vettel says Ferrari will find one thing ‘difficult’ when Lewis Hamilton goes up against Charles Leclerc next year.
Hamilton is joining the Scuderia for 2025 to replace Carlos Sainz after making the shock decision to leave Mercedes.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, former Ferrari driver Vettel offered his take on his impending partnership with Leclerc.
The four-time world champion raced against the Monegasque for two seasons in 2019 and 2020.
Leclerc finished ahead of Vettel in the championship on both occasions before Ferrari dropped the latter in favour of Sainz.
The German is also very familiar with the talents of Hamilton after their long-term rivalry.
They competed for the title during their respective days at Red Bull and McLaren, and later at Ferrari and Mercedes.
While Leclerc has generally appeared to maintain cordial relations with his teammates, Hamilton has been involved in some tense rivalries.
He began his F1 career in a fractious partnership with Fernando Alonso at McLaren, while his friendship with Nico Rosberg deteriorated as they scrapped for top honours at Mercedes.
Sebastian Vettel says it will be ‘difficult’ to manage Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc
Vettel isn’t concerned that the personalities of the two drivers will clash, particularly as Leclerc is relatively easy-going.
However, he expects them to be closely matched on the race track, which could give Ferrari a headache.
“Charles is good, Charles is easy,” he said. “He’s very quick, very competitive but so is Lewis.
“So it’s more difficult I guess for the team to manage.”
Hamilton is hoping that his move to the Prancing Horse can deliver a record-breaking eighth world title.
Five-time Grand Prix winner Leclerc, meanwhile, is still searching for his first world championship.
What is the latest Lewis Hamilton F1 news?
In a recent interview, Hamilton responded to a question from a fan asking whether he was the greatest F1 driver of all time.
Statistically speaking, the 39-year-old is the most successful, with 103 wins and 104 pole positions in addition to his seven titles.
He’s hoping to add those tallies significantly before he retires, and has spoken to sporting greats like Michael Jordan and Serena Williams about finding the right moment to bow out.
The start of the 2024 season has been somewhat bleak for the Briton, who has failed to finish any of the first three races in the top six for the first time in his career.
Sky Sports F1’s Karun Chandhok, though, says he will have enjoyed seeing future team Ferrari score a one-two at the Australian Grand Prix.
Publicly, Hamilton says he ‘can’t’ allow himself to think about next year as he tries to ensure he leaves Mercedes on a high.
Teammate George Russell, who’s prevailed in every meaningful session so far, says he remains ‘incredibly professional’.
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