Helmut Marko: “Hamilton is still a champion in races, but Leclerc is the strongest in qualifying”. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko discussed Ferrari's driver lineup.

Ferrari’s 2025 F1 season

After competing for the constructors’ title until the final race, Ferrari has solid hopes of making further progress in 2025. To achieve this, they decided not to renew Carlos Sainz‘s contract and to bring in seven-time world champion and all-time record holder for victories and pole positions in Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton. The Briton will take the wheel of the iconic red car at the age of 40 for the last great challenge of his extraordinary career.

In his column for Speedweek, Helmut Marko shared his thoughts on Ferrari’s dynamics for the next championship: “We are curious to see Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari. With Charles Leclerc, he will have one of the strongest rivals in qualifying. Lewis can still be a champion in races if the car is right. However, we saw at Mercedes that his motivation was limited when the car wasn’t very competitive. He needs to know he can reach the podium; it’s unlikely he will fight for tenth place.”

The generational shift

Helmut Marko also reflected on various changes coming next year: “Yuki Tsunoda hit the track with the RB20 in post-season testing, and we were satisfied with his technical feedback; he’s better in this aspect than people say. Overall, after a long period with virtually no changes, there will be several rookies who can show what they’re made of. We’ll have Gabriel Bortoleto, Oliver Bearman, and Kimi Antonelli, and if we manage to place a young talent in Racing Bulls, it will mean four new faces, marking a true generational shift.” – the Red Bull advisor concluded.