Could Hamilton’s Mercedes ‘suffering’ bleed into his Ferrari…read more
The Briton’s arrival from Mercedes has dominated headlines throughout the F1 2025 pre-season as just about every pundit gives their prediction for the season that lies ahead.
And almost everyone foresees Hamilton fighting Max Verstappen for the World title.
Some, such as Dutch racing driver turned pundit Tom Coronel, have even gone as far as to claim Formula 1 could be in for a repeat of 2021 with a final race shoot-out between the two to decide the championship.
But while Coronel books his ticket to Abu Dhabi to witness the expected Hamilton v Verstappen showdown, former F1 driver Merhi believes it is actually the other Ferrari who will be fighting Verstappen for the title at the season-ending race.
Although much of the focus in Formula 1’s pre-season has been on Hamilton, it is his team-mate Leclerc who could perhaps be best ready to pounce to Ferrari’s recent gains as he not only knows the team, but he’s also had more say on their F1 2025 SF-25/
“I think Ferrari can be World Champions,” Merhi predicted to Marca, “but more with Charles Leclerc than with Lewis Hamilton.
It’s Charles’ house, the Ferrari is very much made for him, Ferrari has nothing to do with Mercedes.”
Merhi, a compatriot of Leclerc’s former team-mate Sainz and who often features on social media training with Sainz, also issued a note of caution ahead of Hamilton’s first season in red.
Although several pundits have suggested Hamilton will need time to adjust to life at Ferrari, Merhi ponders whether his Mercedes struggles with the ground-effect aerodynamic cars could bleed over into Ferrari.
“I don’t know how long it’s going to take Lewis to get used to, but we already saw that with the last Mercedes he suffered a lot,” he said.
Mercedes’ trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin raised this theory last year when he told the media including PlanetF1.com: “You could argue that Lewis was head and shoulders the best in the previous set of regulations. He certainly found driving the cars second nature.
“Lewis would set up the car so that, as the [rear of the] car came up [during braking] and you gained pitch, it would help you turn the car.
“He relied on those elements and that was how you generated performance in the previous set of regulations.
“He has struggled more with the way these cars run.
“These cars you need to run lower, you need to run stiffer, they are banging into the ground more, you haven’t got as much movement in the platform from low to high speed.”
Hamilton has only once finished on the season’s podium in the ground-effect aerodynamic era while last year, despite winning two Grands Prix, he slumped to a career-worst P7.
Although he has not set out any definitive goals for the season ahead, F1 2025 is being widely tipped as his best opportunity yet to win title number eight.
“I could not be more excited for the year ahead,” he said last month. “Moving to Scuderia Ferrari, there’s a lot to reflect on.
“To anyone considering their next move in 2025: embrace the change.
“Whether you’re switching industries, learning a new skill, or even just taking on new challenges, remember that reinvention is powerful. Your next opportunity is always within reach.
“Here’s to 2025 – a year of embracing new opportunities, staying hungry, and driving forward with purpose.
“Let’s make it one to remember: Andiamo.”
