Former F1 driver Romain Grosjean has given his taken on how he expects Ferrari to handle the dynamic of having Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton as their line-up, with the Frenchman admitting that the squad could face a “tough choice” in who to back as their “number one” driver.
In one of the most high-profile driver moves in Formula 1 history, Hamilton arrived at the Scuderia for the 2025 season following the end of his 12-year stint with Mercedes and has since been immersing himself within his new team.
The seven-time World Champion has spoken positively about his relationship with team mate Leclerc, who is now entering into his seventh campaign as a Ferrari driver. However, during a discussion on the F1 Nation
podcast, Grosjean suggested that the Italian outfit might initially back Leclerc as their “number one” given his experience with the team.
“It’s a tough choice,” Grosjean conceded. “You have Charles Leclerc who has won Monaco and Monza for Ferrari, that is their driver since forever. And then you have Lewis Hamilton who is probably one of the biggest names of the sport and the biggest champion ever.
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“How do you deal with those two guys being in the same team? My guess would be, year one, maybe Charles gets, at least at the start, ‘number one’ treatment because he knows the car very well, he’s probably the one that knows the team better.
“But if things are going that Lewis starts being the lead driver, they would need to choose. To beat [the other teams] you need eventually to choose who’s going to be your lead driver and who’s going to go for the championship.”
Hamilton is still in the early stages of his new chapter with Ferrari, and Grosjean additionally assessed the challenges facing the Briton as he adapts to the famous squad.
“He’s one of the most talented drivers,” the former Haas driver said. “He knows how to drive a car, doesn’t matter the colour, doesn’t matter the steering wheel shape. He’s going to be fast.
Hamilton is just beginning his new chapter as a Ferrari driver
“It’s going to take some time understanding the language with your engineer, understanding what the car needs to be fast, what’s the philosophy behind it.
“I was very lucky I drove the Mercedes engine as well as the Ferrari engine… they are 100% different, almost the opposite, but they both have a very good way of doing it.
“Where Lewis has a great help is with Fred Vasseur who he knows very well from the past. For Lewis, having that comfort and that support, knowing that there’s someone that you know and you trust and can rely on is going to make things easier.
“I’m not saying he’s not going to win Melbourne because Ferrari is always strong in Melbourne, but I’m saying it can take a little bit of time to get adapted. Sometimes it goes very smooth, everything works really well. Sometimes it takes a little bit more work.»
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