Former McLaren mechanic Marc Priestley has issued a stark warning to Charles Leclerc about the potential internal dynamics once Lewis Hamilton joins the team in 2025. Priestley cautioned that Leclerc should avoid falling into a secondary role to maintain his performance levels.
As Ferrari prepares for what could be one of the most pivotal shifts in its Formula 1 team dynamics, the addition of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season promises to shake the foundations at Maranello. With Hamilton's impending entry, former F1 mechanic-turned-analyst Marc Priestley has voiced significant concerns regarding how Charles Leclerc, the team's current front-runner, will fit into the new equation.
Priestley emphasized the critical nature of the role dynamics that will unfold within Ferrari. He believes that Leclerc, who has grown considerably since his debut in 2018, must resist any inclination toward a submissive role to maintain his trajectory as a top-tier driver. He articulated the stakes clearly during an interview with OLBG provided to Newsweek, noting:
"Charles Leclerc can't afford to let Lewis Hamilton come in and be the main man at Ferrari. Leclerc is reasonably experienced now, he has a few years under his belt and is not a rookie. If a driver accepts they're going to be the second driver of the team, you sign your own death warrant and lose performance from that.
"Leclerc needs to come into the team next year, thinking he'll be better than Hamilton. F1 is a sport in which a huge part is technical with that car, but a huge part is the driver's confidence in his own ability."
Priestley continued:
"My experience from driving pairing, particularly new ones, is they will be best of friends in the beginning and have massive respect for each other. But that can all change if Hamilton and Leclerc are competing for a title against each other."
The true test of their relationship will likely occur if Ferrari's performance meets the peak of F1 competitiveness.
"If the Ferrari becomes the best car, that's when it becomes very tricky, and I've never seen a situation like that where the drivers don't fall out and cause problems within the team. It's a competitive environment and the holy grail is the championship, so if your competitor is the guy on the other side of your garage with the same overalls, he's your enemy and not your teammate. Leclerc and Hamilton will both start with massive respect for each other, but it could play out on the race track."
Priestley also noted Leclerc's particular struggles in races compared to his qualifying performances, suggesting that it may be more related to the Ferrari car's characteristics, such as faster tire degradation compared to rivals like Red Bull. He explained, "When Charles Leclerc is very good in qualifying and drops off in the race, it is probably a trait of the car more than the Ferrari. The Ferrari car does seem to work harder than some of the other cars which leads to quicker degradation of the tyres compared to the Red Bulls. Leclerc is not the finished article yet, he's still young and still perfecting his craft."
Despite potential challenges, Priestley sees a valuable opportunity for Leclerc to evolve alongside a champion like Hamilton. "Ferrari will enjoy the youthfulness of Leclerc next year and have the championship-winning experience of Lewis Hamilton too. Leclerc has a bit of all-or-nothing about him, he'll generate quick laps but can crash out, and he will be able to iron out his skill by learning alongside Lewis. The combination of experience and raw pace can be a wonderful pairing for Ferrari."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
