Mika Hakkinen hails ‘very talented young driver’ who could cause Lewis Hamilton problems

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Lewis Hamilton won’t find it ‘straightforward’ to beat Charles Leclerc at Ferrari next season, Mika Hakkinen says.

Hamilton will go up against Leclerc in 2025 when he replaces Carlos Sainz after jumping ship from Mercedes.

The Briton is statistically the most successful Formula 1 driver in history, but Hakkinen has warned him he faces a tough task.

Hamilton has won a record 103 Grands Prix and taken an unmatched 104 pole positions.

He’s level with Michael Schumacher at the top of the list for championships won on seven, and will hope to emulate the German by achieving glory with the Scuderia.

However, Leclerc has come out on top in the intra-team battle in five of his six complete F1 seasons to date.

He beat Sebastian Vettel in both of their seasons together at Ferrari, and has prevailed in his fight with Sainz in two of the last three years.

Though Leclerc’s haul of five victories pales in comparison to that of Hamilton, he also has the advantage of knowing the team.

2025 will be his seventh consecutive year with the Prancing Horse, making him the second-longest serving driver on the grid.

As of right now, only Hamilton (12th season at Mercedes) and Max Verstappen (seventh full season at Red Bull) have spent longer at their respective outfits.

Mika Hakkinen warns Lewis Hamilton about Charles Leclerc

Speaking to Planet F1, Hakkinen pointed out that the Ferrari car will be ‘tailor-made’ for Leclerc given that he’s become so deeply embedded in the team.

Hamilton, then, needs to be braced for a real fight when he takes to the track in scarlet red machinery next year.

He said: “You have Charles Leclerc over there, and he has been with the team for a long time.”

“He’s a very talented young driver and the car is tailor-made for him. So it’s not going to be so straightforward, in my opinion.”

Damon Hill points out where Leclerc may still need to improve

Hamilton has already had to contend with a potential future world champion in the form of George Russell, who was promoted from Williams to Mercedes in 2022.

Russell got the better of his more experienced partner in their first year together, but Hamilton struck back last year by finishing five places ahead in the standings.

Leclerc’s raw speed isn’t in question, with the Monegasque racking up 23 poles so far in his career.

That ranks him inside the top 15 all time, ahead of the likes of Fernando Alonso (22) and Damon Hill (20).

However, Hill feels he isn’t the finished article yet as an all-round driver, calling for him to take more ‘responsibility’ for his team’s strategy calls.

Leclerc dropped from second on the grid to fourth at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, but was hampered by brake issues that cost him six tenths per lap for around a third of the race.