Ferrari's nightmare – Charles Leclerc quits, Lewis Hamilton retires, Carlos Sainz shines
Ferrari will boast one of the most enviable driver line-ups in F1 history when Lewis Hamilton arrives to partner Charles Leclerc - but even the best-laid plans sometimes go wrong
by Dan Burnham · The MirrorThings have been looking up for Ferrari in the second half of the F1 season.
After four podiums in the last five races, Charles Leclerc still has a slim chance of toppling Lando Norris and Max Verstappen at the top of the drivers' championship. And they're well within a shout of claiming the constructors' title.
With seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton replacing Carlos Sainz next year, the future is looking bright. However, it has done for the Prancing Horse in the past without materialising as hoped.
A super team of Hamilton and Leclerc sounds unstoppable on paper, but mixing big personalities can go one way or the other. Here, Mirror Sport looks at what the dreaded other could look like.
Hamilton retires early
There's still fight in Hamilton yet, but just how much remains to be seen. He's endured some taxing seasons with Mercedes after their domination was brought to a halt by Verstappen and Red Bull.
His move appears to be a much-needed reset and offers a fresh shot at surpassing Michael Schumacher's tally of titles. But the clock's ticking - Hamilton will be 40 by the time he steps into a Ferrari seat.
Details about his contract have been kept largely under wraps, with it merely labelled a multi-year deal. There'll no doubt be an out in that if he wants it, and he has admitted to the thought of retirement having crossed his mind.
In an interview with Esquire earlier this year, Hamilton explained: “There are days I’m like, 'shoot, I don’t know how much longer I can go'. There are days I’m like, 'shoot, I’d love a break' because you don’t get a real big break in the season like other sports. You’re not really getting a huge amount of downtime.
“But I do have mentally a plan of where I would like to extend to. I’ve just got to strategise and sequence things. Is there a time when I’m not all in, and I’m just not in love with it anymore?
"That’s the moment that hopefully never happens, in the sense that I’ve fallen out of love with it. But I will know when I need to stop. I want to make sure I really max it out while I can and fully enjoy this sport I’ve done my whole life.”
Leclerc calls it quits
Leclerc has grown used to being Ferrari's poster boy and established No. 1 driver. It's going to be fascinating to see how Hamilton's arrival impacts that.
It's hard to see the Monagasque playing second fiddle, particularly if Ferrari's current form doesn't translate into 2025 and beyond. He's remained patient with the team after countless missteps in the garage over the years.
That's easy to do when you're top dog and know you'll get prioritised for the improvements. Not so easy when a more experienced driver is your team-mate.
Leclerc has cut a frustrated figure plenty of times this year, including after their tyre management scuppered their qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix last time out. He was particularly downbeat about their prospects after the Dutch GP in August.
"I keep repeating myself since quite a few months, but we’ve got a lot of work to do," he admitted. "We’re aware as a team that we have a lot of work to do, we’re working flat out to try and close that gap [to the front of the field].
“We’ll have upgrades soon on the car, which I hope will help us close that gap, but when I see the gap on a track like this, I’m not sure it will be enough to at least be in the fight for the win. Small steps after small steps, I hope it can bring us back to winning consistently, but again, there’s a lot of work.”
Sainz shines at Williams
There's no questioning that Sainz is a top-tier driver. He can certainly feel hard done by having been a consistent source of points throughout his three seasons.
So it really won't take a lot for Ferrari to be left with egg on their face for letting him go. Gambling on Hamilton is high risk, high reward.
If that doesn't pay off and Sainz produces his best with an ambitious Williams, it'd be the ultimate kick in the teeth. F1 legend Damon Hill believes he and Alex Albon could be a match made in heaven for James Vowles, who wants to restore their glory days.
He said: "The dynamic, how it would work with Alex. That is also really important, putting two people together who work together in a team like Williams at the stage they are now, you need those guys to work together.
“I think they are a perfect combination. I can see these two, they’re both pretty grown-up individuals and competitive and hard workers. I think they’ll complement each other brilliantly.”
Newey transforms Aston
He didn't want to move to Italy. He wanted too much money. Whatever excuse Ferrari have for not getting Adrian Newey to sign on the dotted line will look irrelevant if he transforms Aston Martin.
Such opportunities don't present themselves very often. They're the sort you bend over backwards to achieve. And Ferrari let their self-importance get in the way of that.
It's why they've tried and failed to sign him four times now. In a few years' time, they might be looking back at that as the reason for their underperformance yet again.
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