Ferrari Title ‘Unrealistic’ For Hamilton In 2025, Says Schumacher

Lewis Hamilton’s shot at a Ferrari title in his debut 2025 season is “very unrealistic,” according to former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher.

The German backs Charles Leclerc as the Scuderia’s ace. “I don’t know why, but somehow I have the feeling that if anyone can do it in a Ferrari, it will be Charles Leclerc,” Schumacher told DPA news agency.

At 40, Hamilton’s the grid’s second-oldest driver, but Schumacher sees a bigger hurdle. “When you join a new team, it takes at least six to eight months until you can really use the whole environment perfectly and get to know each other – no matter how quickly you feel comfortable and no matter what you do,” he said. “At least that was my experience.”

Paddock chatter pegs McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes ahead of Ferrari for 2025. Leclerc told Sky Italia the SF-25 “struggled with the balance” on Bahrain’s final test days. “McLaren seems like a very strong car,” he admitted, “but it is too early to say more. We need to focus on ourselves.”

Leclerc, 27, brushes off teammate tension fears. “I’m not a very complicated person,” he smiled to RTBF. “I get along with 99 percent of the people I meet. And with Lewis, we had a great feeling from the start.”

Team boss Fred Vasseur wants sparks, not hugs. “There is a very good understanding,” he said. “But there needs to be competition between them. I don’t want them to be the best of friends. Not enemies either, but they are competitors above all. It has to stay in that area – they have to always try to do better than the other. That’s what drives them.”