Vettel gives Hamilton a wake-up call: 'Ferrari will never dump him for you'
F1 News
Sebastian Vettel knows how special it is to drive for Ferrari, the glamour, the fanfare, the love of the tifosi and the powerful racing history the team boasts. However, he also knows the other end of the spectrum, thanks to one man in particular, Charles Leclerc. Ahead of the F1 2025 season opener, the Australian Grand Prix, the German has given the Scuderia's new driver, Lewis Hamilton, a heads-up in that regard.
When Vettel joined Ferrari, he did so with the dream of returning Il Cavallino Rampante to winning ways, much like his idol, fellow German and a Scuderia legend, Michael Schumacher did during his first stint in F1, "I grew up watching Michael. He was my hero and he was most of the time in red, so to me it felt different because of that," said Vettel to Wide World of Sports.
And although he did have the chance to do so, much to his misfortune, a Hamilton-Mercedes powerhouse effectively steamrolled the German's hopes year after year. Speaking on the seven-time world champion's move to Ferrari Vettel is doubts whether driving for the Scuderia was a dream for the Brit. "I'm not sure Lewis had the same dream, but I think it's special for anyone who gets the chance to step into the red car."
"It's big. Anybody who changes team, it's a big move. New people you work with is probably the biggest one. It's a different culture. Obviously most of the teams are English, only two are Italian. That's probably the biggest shift," added the German.
What will Hamilton's biggest challenge at Ferrari be?
Ultimately Vettel's Ferrari dream was abruptly interrupted by then Ferrari rookie, Charles Leclerc, who ferociously challenged and beat the German in his first year in the team, and afterwards proceeded to outperform him thoroughly. Will Ferrari give up on the Monegasque to support Hamilton? The German doesn't believe so.
"He's been there all the way through so they are hardly going to dump him for Lewis. I'm not saying Lewis isn't possible, just that they will not stop looking after and hoping Leclerc's going to get the job done," he concludes.
Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels too!