1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve claims that it only took Lewis Hamilton three races to “take over” Ferrari from Charles Leclerc and make it his team.
Hamilton’s move from Mercedes to Ferrari dominated the news during the 2025 pre-season, and his every first step in red was carefully recorded.
Did Lewis Hamilton really “take over” Ferrari from Charles Leclerc?
From the Instagram post where Hamilton is standing in front of Enzo Ferrari’s house in an elegant suit, to his first laps in the SF-23 on the Fiorano track, to his debut in Ferrari’s car – all of this was in the spotlight. After all, it was one of the hottest stories in Formula 1. And in the background, quietly, Leclerc continued with his tasks, while analysts’ opinions were divided on whether he would mind Hamilton taking all the attention.
While it was initially thought to be a good thing that the pressure had shifted from the Monegasque to the seven-time world champion, Villeneuve now believes it’s no longer just about the attention – it’s about Hamilton now having a team with him.
Although Leclerc was ahead of Hamilton in the races, it was the Briton who brought Ferrari its first pole position of the season, and then its first victory.
He was first in the print race in China, driving from start to finish, which was also Ferrari’s first victory in the sprint format.
And just like that, says Villeneuve, Hamilton made the team “his own”.
“It’s not a short-term, one-year project,” the 1997 world champion told Sky. “The first thing he had to do – and he’s almost done it – was take over the team. Make the team his own. Take it over from Leclerc.” “He has to do it, because all winter the talk was about Lewis and Ferrari. That pushed Leclerc into the shadows a bit. But then he had to prove it on the track. You have to take pole, you have to win. The team is his.”
When told it might be too early to make such a claim, Villeneuve replied: “When you’re Lewis Hamilton, everything goes fast.”
His fellow commentator Naomi Schiff believes that Leclerc is aware of the change, and that it plays a role in his frustrations when things don’t go ideally.
“Charles was Ferrari’s golden boy for years, the driver they invested in year after year. The problem is that now they’ve brought an even bigger star into the garage next to him, and that’s a challenge for him,” Schiff said.
“That’s why he gets frustrated when the sessions don’t go the way he wants, because he knows he has to be faster than him on the track to, as Jacques says, keep the team on his side. Right now, things might not be going the way he wants.”
“Looking at the car, the plate wear, the weight – everything is on the limit. They have to get the most out of everything and drive on the edge to stay competitive.”
“I don’t know if it will last. Of course, the season has 24 races and the cars develop quickly from weekend to weekend. We’ll see what happens.”
