The Monaco Grand Prix could be the “showdown” that decides the hierarchy between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, according to former car designer Gary Anderson.
Hamilton will join Leclerc at Ferrari for the 2025 Formula 1 season, having inked a multi-year deal before the 2024 campaign. The move marks the end of the Briton’s 11-year spell with Mercedes, with whom Hamilton won seven drivers’ titles.
The 39-year-old replaces Carlos Sainz at Ferrari, with Leclerc having been the de facto No 1 at the team over the last few years. And ahead of the 2025 season, many fans have wondered whether Hamilton will usurp Leclerc in that role, or whether the Monegasque will retain his spot.
Hamilton has the pedigree, while Leclerc, 27, has the greater form in recent years – six race wins since 2021, compared to Hamilton’s two. For Anderson, a pundit and former F1 car designer, Leclerc’s home grand prix in Monaco could prove decisive.
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“For Charles Leclerc, there won’t be the same family-team atmosphere that Sainz brought to Ferrari,” wrote Anderson for The Race. “Yes, they had their battles, but resolved most of them amicably.
“With Hamilton, a seven-time champion, joining, it could be completely different. Ferrari has already backed him to the hilt in paying him way more than Leclerc, and I think it will do the same – back Hamilton – for the first part of the season at least, which could rile Leclerc.
“I think Monaco will be the showdown: both are good there but Leclerc is exceptional.”
Hamilton is a three-time winner at the Monaco Grand Prix, which is scheduled for 25 May this year, while Leclerc finally won the race last season. The 27-year-old won from pole, having failed to do so in 2021 and 2022.
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