CHT wrote: ↑07 Feb 2024, 13:49
AR3-GP wrote: ↑07 Feb 2024, 13:36
CHT wrote: ↑07 Feb 2024, 10:22
I think the relationship between the 2 drivers will be tense from the onset and there will be no honeymoon period.
Charles has been with Ferrari since 2019, for sure he is not going to let LH trample all over him and make him look like no 2 driver.
Lewis on the other hand , a 7xWDC still eyeing for the 8th WDC is not going to allow any opportunity to slip away.
Ferrari will have tough time managing the 2 drivers for sure. perhaps a replay of LH vs Alonso at Mclaren again in 2007? Plenty of drama to come for sure.
I don't think so. Leclerc is a very unpolitical driver and rarely ever gets involved in controversy.
Mr nice guy rarely win champion in F1and I don't think Charles have been tested like this before. its like having a alpha male coming to his own den..
I am more looking forward to....
Lewis: "My tyres gone, my tyres are gone"
His Engineer: "Copy. We are checking".
On a serious note, it doesn't matter who wins the battle if they have a poor car as the outcomes would depend upon problems with the car and as usual, Ferrari doing Ferrari things in race strategies. If the teams are as close as they are currently in qualifying, then Leclerc will be starting a number of positions ahead of Lewis even with a small margin. Lewis then have to manage to do a lot more overtaking, like the Mercedes cars, McLarens and Alonso and whoever is in the other Red Bull (assuming someone better than Checo in 2025). It's not going to be just two horse race between Leclerc and Lewis in an open space.
There is a lot of subjectivity here and if Leclerc does a decent job, he can finish ahead of Lewis most of the times. Of course, while overcoming the Ferrari things. Unlike at Mercedes and with Toto, the single most important agenda for Ferrari is not to make Lewis a champion, but to have a Ferrari champion, regardless of who prevails and to that extent, I am not sure if they would change the car's behavior to help Lewis over Leclerc, if Leclerc is generally faster.
It's Ferrari. It has consumed peak Prost, peak Alonso and peak Vettel while they all had compliant side kicks and I don't know how an ageing star is going to be managing things at Ferrari against an ambitious and fast talent. Nothing at Ferrari has changed in how it operates over decades. There is no Ross Brawn to do the magic.
Lewis Hamilton is still under a Mercedes driver until December
