Lewis Hamilton will be “aware” of how Charles Leclerc wrestled the Ferrari team away from Sebastian Vettel when he joined the Scuderia in 2019, according to Johnny Herbert.
The three-time grand prix winner expects there to be some “internal politics” within the Italian team over the season ahead, Hamilton’s first since moving from Mercedes, where he won six of his seven F1 drivers’ championships.
With Leclerc alongside the British driver, Ferrari is widely considered to have the strongest driver line up on the 2025 grid.
Herbert highlighted how having two quick drivers can act as a “slap in the face”, something he believes will benefit the Maranello-based team.
The 60-year-old contended that having both Hamilton and Leclerc at the peak of their powers can motivate the pair and spur them on to beat one another.
“I think it goes both ways,” he told CasinoApps. “If you have a quick driver behind you, it actually gives you a slap in the face because you know that your team-mate is going to be very much on top of his game and he’s going to be pushing you and when he pushes you. That makes you push that little bit more.
“Sometimes that actually benefits the team because they will be getting the best out of each other. I think it’s a positive thing having Charles [Leclerc] on board. There’s going to be some internal politics.”
Hamilton will be in pursuit of his record-breaking eighth F1 drivers’ championship when the season gets underway, whilst Ferrari is hunting a first constructors’ title since 2008.
However, the 40-year-old maintains the latter is the priority whilst the former may prove more difficult to come by, given the ability of Leclerc.
Herbert pointed to how the Monegasque driver usurped Vettel upon joining Ferrari. It paved the way for the German to leave at the end of the following season, with that decision made in advance of the 2020 campaign getting underway.
“We’ve always got to remember when Charles came into Ferrari with Sebastian Vettel, he took the team away from Sebastian,” said Herbert.
“Lewis [Hamilton] is going to be aware of that. At the end of the day, motivation is the most powerful thing.”
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