"The size of the task he faces should not be underestimated": F1 pundit on Lewis Hamilton's first year at Ferrari

F1 pundit Andrew Benson claimed that Lewis Hamilton racing alongside Charles Leclerc in a Ferrari next year won't be easy for the seven-time world champion and should not be 'underestimated'. The British driver shocked the motorsport world when he announced his departure from Mercedes to join the Italian team for the 2025 season.

Lewis Hamilton completed the dream move of racing in the most iconic team in the sport's history before the start of the 2024 season. It is widely touted that the Mercedes driver made the move to the Prancing Horses to have another shot at the elusive eighth world championship.

In his Q&A session with BBC, Benson mentioned that going up against Charles Leclerc in a new environment should not be overlooked. He said:

"The size of the task he faces should not be underestimated. For one thing, he is going to a new team in another country and another culture and it will inevitably take time for him to become fully conversant with that and get the best from himself and Ferrari."

"For another, Leclerc is incredibly fast - many people in F1 think he might even be the fastest driver in the sport over one lap. So out-qualifying him will not be easy," he added.

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Ferrari team boss gives his take on the Lewis Hamilton-Charles Leclerc combination

Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur stated that the combination of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc would be beneficial for the Italian team and would not become a hindrance if they tried to take points off each other next season.

Speaking with Autosport, the Frenchman said (via Motorsportweek):

“I don’t think so, because I think you have a kind of mutual benefit into the team, and we are getting probably more points with two drivers than with one and a half."

"This is a positive move from the performance point of view, and part of our result today is also coming from the fact that we have a good emulation between Carlos [Sainz] and Charles – that they are pushing each other."

Recalling the 2023 season when both Leclerc and Sainz worked together to bring the team close in the fight for P2 in the Constructor's Championship, Vasseur remarked that he preferred having two strong drivers as compared to one because one of them could always take up the mantle if the other were to drop out of points-scoring positions.

Lewis Hamilton would join Ferrari on a multi-year contract that might see him race with them well into the era of new engine regulations, which will be introduced in the 2026 season.

He is currently P8 in the Driver's Championship with 55 points in nine races and two Sprints with his best result of the season, P4, coming in Canada earlier this month.