Lewis Hamilton 's link-up with Ferrari star Charles Leclerc could lead to considerable complications next season.
That's the prediction made by motorsport icon and ex- Formula 1 star Juan Pablo Montoya, though Jenson Button believes the pair could be a match made in heaven. Both former drivers gave their thoughts on next year's dynamic within Ferrari, where Leclerc has reigned for some years now as standard-bearer.
Former McLaren and Williams driver Montoya, 48, pulled no punches expressing his anticipation for a potential showdown between the two racing stars at Maranello. The younger Leclerc, 26, has been celebrated at Ferrari since his debut in 2019, initially partnered by F1 great Sebastian Vettel, who was later replaced by Carlos Sainz two years later.
Hamilton's star power has been slightly tarnished following some sub-par seasons with Mercedes. Despite this, the 39-year-old hopes to clinch a record-breaking eighth world championship title driving in the iconic red.
However, not everyone believes harmony will be achieved so easily with the upcoming Ferrari line-up, and Montoya told RacingNews365 (via the Express ): "It will be interesting to see how smooth that goes with Charles and Lewis in the cars, to be honest. There's going to be a personality clash there. It's going to be fun to watch."
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Leclerc recently triumphed at the Monaco Grand Prix and will be keen to assert his own desires for a championship win at Ferrari. And it seems unlikely he'll warm to the notion of adopting the role of an orthodox No. 2 behind Hamilton.
On the other hand, Button has hinted Hamilton's maturity will help him settle into the new surroundings with ease, joining a fresh outfit for the first time in more than a decade. However, he didn't rule out potential issues with Leclerc.
Juan Pablo Montoya has doubts over the upcoming Ferrari dynamic (Getty)"I think if it was Lewis of sort of seven, eight years ago, it would be a tricky relationship," he said during a recent appearance on the Sky F1 podcast. "But now, he just seems so relaxed in himself and no, I don't think they're going to have issues as being team-mates at all. No more than Carlos [Sainz] and Charles have right now.
"Do I think they'll work well together? Yes. I think the positives that Charles has, he knows the team, speaks Italian. If he wanted to, he could make it really really difficult for Lewis and that team, the atmosphere."
Hamilton has previously expressed his desire to drive for Ferrari, where Michael Schumacher won the majority of his joint-record seven world championships. The story is there to be written that Hamilton might help revive Ferrari's fortunes and finally surpass Schumacher with the team that cemented his icon status.
Jenson Button believes Leclerc and Hamilton have the potential for success (Getty)The Italians have struggled to seriously challenge Red Bull 's dominance in recent years. However, the current gap in the standings separating Verstappen and Leclerc is far from insurmountable.
F1 legend Button, who was Hamilton's team-mate at McLaren for four seasons, admitted some tension between comrades is inevitable in the sport. However, he expressed his excitement about the upcoming battles and said he's "really, really looking forward to that fight between team-mates."
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