Nigel Mansell just made a Lewis Hamilton admission that will terrify Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc

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Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari career didn’t get off to the start he would have liked at the Australian Grand Prix.

In some of the most difficult conditions he’s faced in Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton could only finish 10th and pick up the final point on offer for Ferrari.

He finished two positions behind new teammate Charles Leclerc after being overtaken on the final lap by Oscar Piastri in his far superior McLaren.

There was at the beginning of the race weekend when Ferrari looked like they could be the best of the rest behind last season’s constructors’ champions.

However, Mercedes and Max Verstappen proved to have a pace advantage over both drivers and they’ll be worried that both Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda proved almost impossible to overtake during the race.

Hamilton had some issues over the team radio that will be ironed out as he gets used to working alongside Riccardo Adami, although Leclerc wasn’t exactly delighted with the communications he was receiving either.

Leclerc has a narrow points advantage after the Australian Grand Prix and was the quicker of the two Ferrari drivers across the weekend.

However, in an interview with , world champion Nigel Mansell warned the Monegasque driver that Hamilton’s arrival could be very bad news for his championship ambitions.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Nigel Mansell warns Charles Leclerc that Ferrari will give Lewis Hamilton ‘anything’ he wants

When talking with The Guardian about Hamilton after his move to Ferrari was confirmed, Mansell explained: “He’s super intelligent, super clever. I love the guy.

“I’ve been a huge fan of Lewis his whole career.

“He’s got the motivation and mindset. Lewis’s 2025 will rejuvenate him to what he was five, [or] 10 years ago and going to Ferrari is just incredibly inspirational.

“The doors it will unlock and Lewis can ask for pretty much anything, and it’ll be accepted.

“Ferrari will give him everything he requires to get the job done. And until I’m proven wrong, I think he will get the job done.”

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Lewis Hamilton will be desperate to have a better Ferrari career than Nigel Mansell

Mansell is one of just a handful of British drivers to race for Ferrari in the modern era of Formula 1.

Only Eddie Irvine and briefly Oliver Bearman can claim to have done that ahead of Hamilton’s debut.

However, the 1992 world champion didn’t have the easiest time at Ferrari during his two seasons with the team in 1989 and 1990.

He was up against Gerhard Berger during his first season and while he outscored his teammate, the Austrian only completed three races that year although each of them were podium finishes.

Alain Prost arrived in 1990 to replace Berger and only a controversial end to the final race of that season denied him the chance to win the championship ahead of Ayrton Senna.

The Frenchman scored nearly double Mansell’s points tally and it was clear Ferrari were prioritising Prost that season.

Mansell has seen first-hand what happens when Ferrari prioritise one driver and is right to warn Hamilton and Leclerc that they need to take control of the team.

Given Ferrari’s chiefs want Hamilton to be their number one driver, he could dictate how they develop this year and next year’s car to suit his driving style.