Jarno Trulli outlines why Charles Leclerc will have an ‘advantage’ over Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

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One of the biggest transfers in the history of Formula 1 will go through in 2025 as Lewis Hamilton makes his historic move to Ferrari.

The seven-time world champion will join the Maranello squad from Mercedes after a record-breaking 12 season with the team. In that time, Hamilton has won six of his seven world championships, helped guide the Silver Arrows to eight consecutive constructors’ titles and put himself in the history books as the driver with the most wins, podiums and pole positions in F1 history.

The reaction to the Brit’s shock move to Ferrari has been huge, unsurprisingly among the Tifosi in particular, with Hamilton having an ‘unprecedented’ impact on ticket sales at the Italian Grand Prix.

The 39-year-old has signed a multi-year deal with the Maranello team, but Hamilton will not make his debut with Ferrari until 2025 after a test at Abu Dhabi was blocked due to his contract with Mercedes running until the end of 2024.

Hamilton will partner Charles Leclerc for 2025 onwards, with Carlos Sainz being pushed out of the team in favour of the Brit and will join Alex Albon at Williams.

‘Being the host at Maranello’ will give Charles Leclerc the ‘advantage’ over Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

Many have been wondering how Hamilton will fair against Leclerc at Ferrari. The Monegasque driver has only beaten the Brit in the standings once in 2022, although that is mainly down to Mercedes having a far more dominant package than Ferrari during the turbo-hybrid era.

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

Leclerc is well-established at Maranello having moved to the team in 2019 after one year with Alfa Romeo. In his time with Ferrari, the 27-year-old has grabbed seven wins and 39 podiums.

Leclerc’s experience with the team is what former F1 driver Jarno Trulli believes will give him the ‘advantage’ over Hamilton and that he can prove he is a ‘worthy’ world champion if he can beat him.

Speaking with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Trulli said: “First of all, he has the advantage of being the host in Maranello, so he knows the team and the people inside out.

“And then Lewis’ closeness can be a great motivation. Because, if he manages to beat a seven-time world champion with the same car, he will demonstrate that he is a driver worthy of the World Championship.

“When I was racing, I always hoped to have very strong teammates, to be able to prove my worth even if the car wasn’t a winner”.

How will Lewis Hamilton fair against Charles Leclerc at Ferrari?

There is no denying that Hamilton has struggled to get the best out of his Mercedes during the ground-effect era, which is perhaps a factor in his decision to join Ferrari.

In the 2024 season, the Maranello squad, as well as the Silver Arrows and McLaren, have closed the gap to Red Bull, giving Hamilton a great chance to challenge regularly for wins and perhaps a world championship.

But in equal machinery, Leclerc will be no pushover. The Monegasque driver knows Italian and will go into his seventh season with Ferrari in 2025, which will no doubt give him an advantage over Hamilton.

However, the Brit is reuniting with Frederic Vasseur, with the Frenchman being his team principal at ART Grand Prix when he won the GP2 title in 2006. With this successful partnership coming back together and with driving for Ferrari being a lifelong dream, Hamilton will prove to be tough competition for Leclerc when he officially trades silver for red.