Charles Leclerc has revealed the ‘very, very special’ perk of being a Ferrari driver that Lewis Hamilton will have access to in 2025.
Hamilton will leave Mercedes upon the conclusion of the 2024 season after 11 years with the team in order to race for the Scuderia.
Ferrari confirmed that Hamilton had signed a ‘multi-year contract’ with the team, although it isn’t yet clear how the deal has been structured.
What is clear is that Hamilton will step inside a Ferrari for the first time as one of their drivers next year, with the seven-time world champion having to fulfil several promotional duties before he officially leaves Mercedes.
Ferrari will technically only have one driver on their books for the Abu Dhabi post-season test, with Carlos Sainz being granted an early release from his contract to drive for Williams.
But come 2025, the Scuderia will have the line-up in place that they hope can get them back to winning world championships.
A Ferrari driver hasn’t won a Drivers’ Championship since Kimi Raikkonen did so in 2007 – though Felipe Massa, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso all came close – and won the Constructors’ Championship in the same year.
Despite that barren run, Ferrari is still the most prestigious name in motorsport and its drivers get some incredible benefits.
And speaking on the ‘Box Box’ podcast with Formula 1 journalist Tom Clarkson, Leclerc has revealed the one ‘very, very special’ advantage Ferrari drivers get – the ability to drive any Ferrari, anywhere, wherever you want.
He explained: “I’m pretty sure that if I ask, ‘I would like to drive this car’, then Ferrari would make it happen.
“So this is obviously very, very special. Whatever car, whichever year – yeah, Ferrari can make it happen.”
That benefit would give Hamilton the opportunity to drive some iconic Ferrari cars if he chose to, including the 1992 Ferrari F40 which was the Italian manufacturer’s final car approved by Enzo Ferrari himself.
The Brit may also have the opportunity to step into any of Ferrari’s F1 title-winning machines, including the cars driven by the legendary Michael Schumacher, Niki Lauda or Alberto Ascari.
