Lewis Hamilton warned he could have to deal with 'unsportsmanlike' behaviour at Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton will undergo a significant change when he begins life as a Ferrari driver in 2025.
2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button believes that Charles Leclerc has the power to make life very difficult for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari next season. However, with the pair currently enjoying a harmonious relationship, he does not foresee any trouble when they join forces at Maranello.
Hamilton has previously endured his fair share of toxic team-mate relationships, clashing regularly with both Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg. However, in more recent times, he has worked in harmony with Valtteri Bottas and George Russell.
However, Leclerc is an even more shrewd operator and has already stamped his authority on battles with four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, and three-time Grand Prix winner and incumbent Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz. The 26-year-old will prove a testing opponent as Hamilton enters the twilight years of his glittering career.
Assessing the possible dynamic between Hamilton and Leclerc next season on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Button said: “I think if it was Lewis of sort of seven, eight years ago, it will be a tricky relationship.
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“But now, he just seems so relaxed in himself and no, I don’t think they’re going to have issues as being team-mates at all. No more than Carlos [Sainz] and Charles have right now. Do I think they’ll work well together? Yes. I think the positives that Charles has, he knows the team, speaks Italian.
“If he wanted to, he could make it really really difficult for Lewis and that team, the atmosphere. And you can say, ‘Well, that’s not sportsmanlike’, but that’s part of racing and Nico Rosberg will tell you that as well. It’s about getting the team of people behind you, so that gives you strength and it takes away strength from your team-mate.
“But, Lewis has been around long enough to understand the situation and I’m really, really looking forward to that fight between team-mates. Obviously, they’re working together, they’re Ferrari. It’s all about Ferrari. That’s the one thing with Ferrari.
“In every other team, you can kind of say, ‘Yeah, the driver is out for himself’. And the team obviously. But in Ferrari, everyone works for Ferrari. It’s all about Ferrari winning the world championships.”
Unfortunately for Hamilton, before he can get down to business with Leclerc at Ferrari, he must see out his 12th and final season as a Mercedes driver. The seven-time world champion is enduring the worst start to a campaign in his career with Toto Wolff’s outfit struggling to boost their performance.