Lewis Hamilton tipped to surprise Charles Leclerc at Ferrari by Michael Schumacher's former boss

Michael Schumacher's former boss, Eddie Jordan, feels Lewis Hamilton will surprise Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, who had his way with Carlos Sainz. The 7x world champion surprised a lot of people in 2024 when he announced that he would be leaving Mercedes at the end of the year and moving to the Italian marque.

The driver had been a part of the Mercedes setup since 2013. He'd won 6 world titles with the team during his stay and in the process become the most successful driver in F1 history. Since 2022, however, the German team had not built a car capable of fighting for the title, and at the start of the 2024 F1 season, Lewis Hamilton had not won a race for two consecutive seasons.

With a move to Ferrari, the 7x world champion will be pursuing the goal of winning an 8th title and hence eclipsing Michael Schumacher's record as well. He is, however, teamed up with Charles Leclerc, a driver who's rated very highly up and down the grid and is loved by the Tifosi as well.

Michael Schumacher's former boss, Eddie Jordan, however, feels that Lewis Hamilton would surprise Charles Leclerc at Ferrari even though the Brit would need a couple of races to get used to the team. On the Formula for Success podcast, Jordan said,

"Leclerc is there now seven years. He knows everybody. He knows all the people and what to say, the language. He’s the darling of Maranello. However, he will be surprised. I think he had a certain way with him over Carlos Sainz. But, as far as I’m concerned, I think Lewis will hit the ground running… well, I think it will take him two or three races.

Charles Leclerc urged to show a level of dominance over Lewis Hamilton early in the partnership

Eddie Jordan did feel Charles Leclerc would have the edge early as Lewis Hamilton hit his stride, the Irishman urged the Monagasque driver to assert a level of dominance early on in the partnership as until the Brit gets used to the team. He said,

"I would urge Leclerc to get on his bike in the early stage because that’s when Leclerc is going to show certain amounts of dominance."

He added,

“As the season unfolds, as the people show more and more and more love for [Lewis], particularly the Italian fraternity and the Tifosi, but also the country, because this is a national team – I really think Lewis wants to and will embrace the love that it projects.”

The 2025 F1 season is crucial for Lewis Hamilton as well as he gets teamed up with Charles Leclerc at a time when he's coming off a drubbing from his former teammate at Mercedes. George Russell was quite dominant against the 7x world champion in 2024 and the Brit would be hoping to reverse the trend at Ferrari.