The 2025 season is shaping up to be a pivotal year for Ferrari, with the team based in Maranello holding high hopes of finally breaking their curse. It’s been since 2007 that Ferrari last won the Drivers’ Championship, with Kimi Raikkonen being the last hero to don the iconic red suit. Although they did go on to win the Constructors’ Championship the following year, the team has since become mired in a series of projects that can only be described as pipe dreams. Some have shown more promise than others, but ultimately, they’ve all ended in disappointment.
With the clear objective of breaking the curse, Ferrari has opted to assemble a dream team, courtesy of the high-profile signing of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. The acclaimed British driver will join forces with Charles Leclerc to form the most potent partnership of the 2025 season. During the pre-season tests in Bahrain, Hamilton showcased his impressive skills, securing the second-fastest time of the winter tests. This promising start has generated excitement among fans, who are eager to see how the dynamic duo will perform together.
One question mark still lingers, however: how will team principal Fred Vasseur manage the delicate balance between his two star drivers? Vasseur, ever the optimist, is focusing on the positives, highlighting the enormous potential of the SF-25 and his two drivers. “From the outset, I’ve been convinced that Charles will greatly benefit from Lewis’s arrival,” he noted in a conversation with Gazzetta dello Sport. “Perhaps it will take some pressure off him, allowing him to focus more on himself. He’ll also have the opportunity to learn a lot from Hamilton, a true professional who always has something to teach those around him. After four years with Carlos Sainz, having a new teammate is the best way for Charles to grow.”
As Vasseur sees it, the similarities between Hamilton and Leclerc are striking. “They’re both highly motivated, demanding, and push the team to the limit. We need this internal competition between them to drive performance. If we look at last year or the past two seasons, we had great competition on the track between our drivers, and that worked out well for us,” he observed, adopting a paternal tone. “I’ve known Lewis for over 20 years and Charles for 14. Having followed them before they started winning helped me build a strong relationship with them. I’m not their father, but they were just kids when they started out with me.”
For Vasseur, it’s essential to recognize that he has two top-level drivers at his disposal, both capable of winning races and competing for the World Championship. “We want to win with both of them, and I hope they both secure victories this year. As for the title, we’ll have to wait and see how the second half of the season unfolds,” he noted.
In his prediction for the upcoming season, Vasseur forecasts a thrilling F1 World Championship. “On paper, this is the most exciting season in the last 30 years, with four teams that finished last year very close and now have legitimate hopes of winning. For us, it’s crucial to develop the car well and work with our drivers to be ready. We’ll see how it all plays out on the track,” he concluded, his enthusiasm palpable.