Ferrari championship 'improbable' for Hamilton in 2025.

      It is "extremely unrealistic" to believe that Lewis Hamilton will secure the title for Ferrari in his first season with the legendary team. This is the perspective of former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, who believes that the current Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc is the frontrunner to watch in 2025.

      “I can’t explain why, but I have a feeling that if anyone is capable of achieving success in a Ferrari, it would be Charles Leclerc," the German expressed to the DPA news agency.

      At 40 years old, the seven-time world champion Hamilton is now the second oldest driver on the grid, yet Schumacher points out a more significant reason why the Brit is unlikely to clinch the championship this year.

      “When you start with a new team, you need at least six to eight months to fully adapt to the environment and really understand each other—regardless of how quickly you feel at ease,” he shared. “That was my personal experience.”

      Most experts believe that McLaren, Red Bull, and perhaps even Mercedes are ahead of Ferrari as the 2025 season approaches. Leclerc recently told Sky Italia that the 2025 car "struggled with the balance" during the second and third days of testing in Bahrain last week.

      "McLaren appears to be a very strong car," the Monegasque driver acknowledged, "but it's still too early to draw definite conclusions. We need to concentrate on improving ourselves."

      Leclerc, 27, is confident that he won't face the same struggles Hamilton had with teammates Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg in the past.

      "I’m not a complicated person," he smiled. "I get along with nearly everyone I meet. And with Lewis, we had a great connection from the very beginning."

      However, team principal Frederic Vasseur hopes that the two aren't overly friendly.

      "There’s a very good rapport," he said. "But competition between them is essential. I don't want them to become best friends.

      "Nor do I want them to be adversaries, but they must see each other as competitors first and foremost. They need to strive to outperform one another; that’s what motivates them."