Lewis Hamilton has taken over Ferrari from Charles Leclerc claims F1 legend

Former F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve suggests Lewis Hamilton has taken Ferrari "away" from Charles Leclerc after moving to the team this season. He claimed that it was an important move for Hamilton to make.

Hamilton moved from Mercedes to Ferrari this season, marking a new chapter in his celebrated Formula 1 career. While much was expected from the team, Ferrari has failed to deliver a promising pace so far in the initial three races. But the Briton's excellence behind the wheel cannot be undermined.

Speaking of Hamilton's role with the team, Jacques Villeneuve recently mentioned that the "first thing" he needs to do is take control of the team, further claiming that he has already managed to do that.

"So the first thing he has to do, which he's already done, almost done, is take over the team, make the team his, take it away from Leclerc. And he becomes the man because he has to, because all winter, the only talk was Lewis, Lewis and Ferrari, that put a little bit, look in the shadow, but then he had to do it on the track. You got a pole, you got a win. The team is his," he told Sky Sports (via racingavenuechannel on IG).

Ferrari hasn't been far off the competition at the top, but the is nowhere near the competitive levels it showcased in the second half of the 2024 F1 season. While Lewis Hamilton hasn't had the perfect start this year, either, he explained that he hadn't expected a top of the line start, either.

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Lewis Hamilton explains his expectations at Ferrari, reinforces faith in the team

Lewis Hamilton's only strong run this season has been during the Sprint in China so far. In the rest of the events, he was out of contention for even a podium. This has been a tough start for him, considering he won races with Mercedes last year.

However, the 40-year-old hasn't lost any faith in the team, as he cleared the air around the speculations that had developed in the Paddock more recently.

"I saw someone said something about whether I'm losing faith in the team, which is complete rubbish. I have absolute 100% faith in this team. There was obviously a huge amount of hype at the beginning of the year," Lewis Hamilton told Formula 1.

He further clarified that he did not expect to start winning with the team right after the start of the season.

"I don't know if everyone was expecting us to be winning from race one and winning the championship in our first year. That wasn't my expectation."

Ferrari has the third-fastest car on the grid currently. However, this will be clarified in the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix, where the Italian outfit is also prepared to introduce the first major upgrade of the season.