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Ferrari drop Leclerc ‘partnership’ tease amid Lewis Hamilton team orders threat

Ferrari’s CEO, Benedetto Vigna, is confident that the partnership between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will be successful throughout the 2025 Formula 1 season. This optimism follows reports suggesting that Ferrari plans to impose team orders as they seek to end their long wait for a World Championship, which they have not won since 2008. With a number of top teams like Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, and McLaren all vying for victories last year, the 2025 season is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent memory.

It has been reported that Ferrari intends to back either Hamilton or Leclerc after the first few races of the upcoming season, depending on their performance. Team Principal Fred Vasseur has previously indicated that he is willing to make tough decisions, including using team orders, to give Ferrari the best chance of winning. The pressure is mounting on Hamilton, who had a challenging 2024 season where he struggled against his teammate, George Russell, particularly in qualifying. Hamilton’s transition to Ferrari has raised eyebrows, with some critics suggesting that his signing was more of a marketing move than a sporting one. However, Vigna emphasized that the primary goal is success on the track, even though Hamilton’s arrival will undoubtedly boost Ferrari’s brand image.

Vigna believes that Hamilton’s partnership with Leclerc will prove to be a productive one, as they aim to compete for the top positions in both Formula 1 and endurance championships. He acknowledged that Hamilton’s arrival would benefit Ferrari’s brand, but he reiterated that winning races and titles is the main objective.

Formula 1 pundit Martin Brundle also weighed in on the situation, stating that Ferrari will expect Hamilton to quickly adapt to his new team. He noted that there would be little tolerance for any delay in Hamilton’s performance and that he would need to be fully on the pace with Leclerc within two or three races. Brundle emphasized that Hamilton’s wealth of experience should make this transition easier, though he also cautioned that the pressure would be immense.

Hamilton’s first few weeks with Ferrari were not without incident. During a private test in Barcelona, he crashed the SF-23 car, which led to significant damage and meant that Leclerc could not run on track as planned. Despite the setback, former Ferrari sponsorship manager Peter Windsor pointed out that Hamilton’s crash might actually have a positive side. Windsor believes that the mistake in the final sector of the test showed that Hamilton was pushing the limits of the car, which he interpreted as a sign that Hamilton was comfortable with the vehicle. He added that, despite the crash, Hamilton appeared to feel better in the Ferrari than he had in the past couple of years with Mercedes, even potentially dating back to the beginning of 2022.

With high expectations for both Hamilton and Leclerc, Ferrari’s 2025 season is already shaping up to be an exciting and intense one. The team is hoping for a strong start, with Vigna’s vision for a successful partnership between the two drivers playing a key role in their strategy.