Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have officially joined forces as Ferrari teammates, with the Maranello team announcing the British driver’s arrival via their social media channels on New Year’s Day.

While the pressures of competition may eventually test their partnership, early indications suggest their relationship will be amicable. Since 2019, both drivers have competed in front-running cars but have rarely come into direct conflict. One standout moment came during the Qatar GP Sprint last November, where Leclerc overtook Hamilton for fifth place after an intense, skillful wheel-to-wheel duel spanning multiple corners. The battle underscored the mutual respect between the two drivers.

So far, their interactions have been warm and cordial. Beyond the racetrack, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton share common interests, such as music and fashion, which could help strengthen their bond. Ferrari’s internal dynamics also appear stable. Despite occasional tensions with the team, Carlos Sainz departed with the Monegasque’s best wishes, just as there were no lingering issues between Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel during their time as teammates.

Meanwhile, Hamilton received an emotional farewell from George Russell following their three-year stint together at Mercedes. Unlike the strained partnership with Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton’s time with George Russell and Valtteri Bottas was marked by harmony, further reinforcing his ability to maintain positive teammate relationships.

Charles Leclerc Spearheaded Driver Protests Over Max Verstappen’s Controversial Move at 2021 Brazil GP

The 2025 Ferrari F1 drivers also seem to align on racing ethics and standards in Formula 1. This was evident following the contentious 2021 Sao Paulo GP, where Hamilton mounted a spectacular charge from 10th place to claim victory, narrowing Max Verstappen’s championship lead. However, the race wasn’t without drama. Verstappen aggressively defended his lead by forcing both cars off track during Hamilton’s attempted overtake into turn four—a move that sparked widespread outrage but went unpunished by the stewards.

According to F1 correspondent Andrew Benson, speaking on the *Chequered Flag* podcast in autumn 2024, Charles Leclerc led the chorus of disapproval from the drivers. Together with Carlos Sainz, the Monegasque was particularly outspoken about the lack of a penalty for Max Verstappen, voicing his concerns during the routine drivers’ meeting with FIA race director Michael Masi at the next race in Qatar. The incident highlighted Charles Leclerc’s commitment to ensuring fair play and underscored his shared values with the British driver regarding on-track standards. Andrew Benson explained that after the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix, all the drivers believed Max Verstappen should have received a penalty for his actions. He noted that during the following race in Qatar, a meeting took place where Charles Leclerc and his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz took the lead in expressing their views. According to the F1 correspondent, they made it clear that they felt the Dutchman’s move warranted a penalty.

Lewis Hamilton Could Have Secured Crucial Equality Clause in Ferrari Deal

As Lewis Hamilton steps into his new role at Ferrari, he joins a team that Charles Leclerc has firmly established as his own over six seasons. During that time, Leclerc has worked alongside two different teammates and proven himself to be the cornerstone of the Scuderia’s future.

Charles Leclerc’s rise at Ferrari was cemented when he outperformed four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, effectively ending the German driver’s tenure with the team. Ferrari’s management had already suspected that Vettel, despite his accolades, might not match Hamilton’s raw speed—a theory that was tested when the Monegasque emerged as the faster driver.

With Lewis Hamilton’s arrival, Ferrari now boasts two of the grid’s most formidable talents. However, unlike some team lineups, there is no indication of a preordained number one driver for the upcoming season. This balance is particularly significant given the competitive pedigree of both drivers.

One analyst has speculated that Lewis Hamilton, renowned for his attention to detail in contract negotiations, may have insisted on a specific clause guaranteeing equal treatment within the team. Such a clause would ensure that team principal Frederic Vasseur cannot impose team orders that favor one driver over the other, potentially setting the stage for a thrilling intra-team rivalry at Ferrari.

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The reasons why Red Bull went from being “definitely under the spending cap” as Christian Horner had pointed out to a minor, but not marginal overrun, are attributable to four areas. Costs related to catering, expenses for team members who were unable to work because they were ill or expenses attributable to gardening leave were counted in the same way as spare parts used by Red Bull. In addition, a different classification in terms of taxation with the British authorities has contributed to such a wide gap between what the financial reports of what the Milton Keynes team had estimated and what was actually accounted for by the Cost Cap Administration of the FIA.

The Federation has presented an offer to Red Bull to settle the issue, an opportunity for the team led by Christian Horner to close the affair linked to the failure to comply with the budget cap through an admission of guilt. The alternative is to challenge the FIA ​​again and explain their point of view in front of a panel of judges which also includes five members of other teams.

If the appeal were lost, however, Red Bull would risk incurring harsher penalties than those currently proposed by the Federation in a confidential manner.

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[Update 4:45 pm] – As we wait for the official document that should soon be released by the FIA, there is an update from Daily Mail. According to the British media outlet, Red Bull would be – the conditional is a must – in a “minor” breach of the budget cap set for 2021. The exact amount may not be specified in the communication expected to be released in about 15 minutes. For Aston Martin, a “procedural” infringement should be indicated. As a sanction, the British newspaper remains vague, speaking of a possible fine. Finally, any appeals could even increase the sanctions and therefore, at present, they would seem to be unlikely.
Other sources confirm that the federal document will be published within the next hour and that it will contain an indication of any infringements, but not of the related sanctions.

15:00 – Sky Sport reported this morning that the FIA verdict could arrive around 5pm. In the last few minutes, some foreign sources have speculated that it could arrive at 6pm.

14:10 – Everything is silent at the FIA headquarters. In last Wednesday’s statement, the Federation spoke of “a long and complex process” …

12:20 – Also from Holland (GP Fans NL) they report that the Federation could release updates only in the afternoon.

11:35 – Sky Sport colleagues report that the FIA’s decision could come around 5 pm.

[Update 11:00 am] – In the morning, the Federation confirmed that updates regarding the certifications for the 2021 budget cap are expected today, most likely in the late afternoon. In the past few hours, FIA vice president for sport Robert Reid spoke to Autosport about the matter: “The unfortunate aspect is that there have been numerous allegations. I don’t know the numbers, but if there are any violations, I think everyone knows they could also be classified as procedural or minor or material, as happened in Williams’ recent past. But I repeat that we do not know if there have been infringements, procedural or overrun of the spending cap, so let’s wait and see ”.

The reference figure for the FIA regarding the cost control is the Italian Federico Lodi, who in the past held the role of CFO for Toro Rosso from May 2012 to October 2014. Lodi has been in the Federation since December 2018, where has assumed the position of “Head of Financial Regulations (Formula 1 and Formula E)”, and is therefore responsible for the development, management, implementation and monitoring of the financial regulations framework for Formula 1 and Formula E.

The budget case cap. In recent weeks, rumors have filtered out about an alleged failure to comply with the spending limit for the 2021 season by some teams, rumors that have not found any official confirmation from the FIA ​​- which twice described everything as’ allegations and conjectures’. As is known and as explained in the financial regulations, the ten teams participating in the championship had to limit expenses to 145 million dollars, the maximum figure established by the FIA. The total calculation did not include expenses relating to the salaries of the drivers, the three top managers, the costs of marketing, logistics, travel, registration fees, non-F1 activities and legal affairs.

Any penalties will be proportional to the extent of the overshoot, and are essentially divided into minor infringements (quantified in 5% of the total) or established, and range from the subtraction of points on the 2021 ranking to fines, to the deduction of development hours or a lowering of the budget for the following season, up to exclusion from races and championships, obviously in the most serious cases.

It is no mystery that in recent days there has been a lot of talk about Red Bull and Aston Martin as possible teams involved in the alleged infringements, with the teams that have not confirmed these rumors, declaring themselves calm about the accounts presented to the Cost Cap Administration, created by the FIA ​​to handle the whole affair.

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The analysis turned out to be “a long and complex process”, as explained in a note from the Federation, so much so that it has already been postponed on three occasions (30 September, 3 October, 5 October) and should lead to – the conditional is mandatory – in a communication in which the teams that have managed to obtain the certification of suitability regarding the financial statements will be announced.

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In the first half of the 2019 campaign, the Italian side was able to fight for race wins and pole positions, but unfortunately the situation changed for the following season, when Ferrari fell back drastically due to several factors, including a FIA technical directive that reduced its Formula 1 engine’s performancecome. The 2020 championship was among the worst years in the team’s history. Therefore, last season needed to represent a major step forward for the Maranello team, with a target that was ultimately achieved, as the Scuderia was able to beat McLaren in the fight for third place in the Constructors’ Championship.

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Ferrari and McLaren were the leading duo in the midfield during the 2021 campaign, as the Italian side scored two pole positions with Charles Leclerc in Monaco and Baku and also finished on the podium five teams. Ferrari’s ambitions are of course to fight for much more important results, but it was still a seaon in which the Italian side proved to themselves they could push through their issues and get back on course.

“It was us against us,” Laurent Mekies said, as reported by Motorsport-Total.com – “We gained some confidence early that some of the major issues we had with the previous year’s car were no longer so severe. It doesn’t give you an answer as to where you will be compared to the competition, but it gives you an answer or a clue that’s crucial because it’s also the path that ultimately drives development. It wasn’t a panacea, but it was a step in the right direction. [In 2020] we were not satisfied with the performance. We were not happy with the aero efficiency. We were not happy with the performance we got on the track.” – Scuderia Ferrari racing director Laurent Mekies explained.

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The source of this data is non-official. The telemetry data is sampled at a low rate and has been interpolated for clarity. As a result, the precision and/or integrity of the data cannot be guaranteed. The metric used here does not account for cars being held up in the pitlanes by other cars driving by in the pitlane, which possibly skews the data in favour of front-running cars.

With time spent stationary in the box being the main factor in this metric, it is not surprising to see Red Bull, who have been the team to beat in terms of pit stops for some years now, coming out on top. What this metric can convey, comparing to actual pit stop times, is the ability to precicely slow down the car into the box and then swiftly pull away.

The only significant deviation compared to pit stop times is the fact that Alfa Romeo seem to somehow make up time elsewhere in the pitlane. This is very interesting, since Alfa Romeo have been known to pretty aggressively angle their pit box as to straighten the trajectory of the car when entering the pit box.

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This makes it much easier for the driver to get the car stopped precisely on his marks, theoretically handing the Alfa Romeos a significant advantage in braking for the box. The flipside is that the driver has a greater angle to overcome when exiting the box. But the “trick” here, and presumably the philosophy behind this entire tactic, is that when leaving the box you have the option of using a bit of wheelspin, forcing the car to rotate, with a negligible time loss.

The dataset comprises 483 pitstops across 21 of the season’s Grands Prix (the Monaco Grand Prix is omitted since it has a lower pitlane speed limit). Horizontal bars indicate median speed for each driver/team, whereas the filled curve denotes the kernel density estimation of times taken to travel through the pitlane at all races, except for the Monaco. For each race weekend, the times have been corrected for a pit lane length of approx. 395 meters (the median pitlane length across the season).

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