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David Coulthard has told Charles Leclerc that he may only have to worry about Lewis Hamilton for another two years at Ferrari.
Leclerc beat Hamilton in the vast majority of competitive sessions during their first year as teammates, but he has encountered a far stronger version of the Englishman this season.
Hamilton brought Ferrari back to the top step of the podium at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix last weekend, their first win since Mexico City 2024. With Leclerc retiring due to a power steering failure, the gap between the drivers has widened to 40 points.
What would Lewis Hamilton beating Charles Leclerc at 41 do for his F1 legacy?
David Coulthard: Charles Leclerc will be fine, even if Lewis Hamilton wins the title
The narrative at the moment is that Ferrari could become Hamilton’s team, with some pundits, like Jacques Villeneuve, even suggesting that they should make him the number one driver to maximise their chances of beating Mercedes.
Indeed, Hamilton is only 41 points behind Kimi Antonelli, while Leclerc may already be out of title contention. But Coulthard, speaking on the Up to Speed podcast, says the latter will be fine even if his teammate wins the championship.
That’s because Leclerc has just signed a long-term contract, expected to keep him at Maranello into the 2030s. By contrast, Coulthard expects 41-year-old Hamilton to retire by the end of 2029 at the latest.
Hamilton’s former rival Fernando Alonso will soon turn 44 and seems open to signing another contract, but aside from that, there are few recent examples of drivers racing into their mid-40s.
After signing a new deal, will Charles Leclerc retire as a Ferrari driver?
“He’s mature enough in his career now to understand that, racing against a seven-time world champion, you’re not going to beat him all the time,” said Coulthard.
“He probably found it a bit easier than he expected when he joined from Mercedes and he basically was still the pacesetter within the team.
“What we’ve seen this year… think back to Shanghai, where they were pass, re-pass, battling, it was the early signs that Lewis Hamilton was back to his brilliant best.
“He will, of course, be disappointed in his own performance in the last couple of Grands Prix, but he’s got a multi-million pound, secure contract going forward.
“Even if worst comes to the worst in that Lewis continually delivers, gets the wins, wins the championship, Lewis can surely only be around for another… two years, three years? I can’t imagine he’s going to be around for the next five years, which I imagine is the length of contract that Charles Leclerc has.”
It’s believed that Hamilton’s contract runs until the end of 2027, but an extension is possible if he maintains his current form.
Last season, Hamilton only beat Leclerc in 21.4% of the competitive sessions where both were classified.
While he has improved this year, it’s still 50/50, which suggests Leclerc’s problems may be overstated
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