In 2024, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s soon-to-be Ferrari partnership has gained more buzz than any current pairing. Every analyst and pundit feels the need to give their 2 cents on the game-changing signing by Frederic Vasseur. Where most of them reach a consensus is agreeing that Leclerc might be forced to play second fiddle to the 7-time champion. Hamilton’s former Mercedes teammate, Valtteri Bottas, however, has sent a positive yet cautious message to the Monegasque.

Mercedes’s duo of Bottas and Hamilton was overpowering. The team functioned like a well-oiled machine because of their camaraderie and obedience to team orders. Now that Hamilton is moving to the latest and most exciting chapter of his life, Bottas has weighed in on Ferrari’s future driver pairing. The Sauber driver, who is without a seat for 2025, was recently questioned about what Leclerc could expect as Hamilton’s teammate. “When he gets to know Lewis, I am sure he will have lots of respect,” he said on the Nailing the Apex podcast. “He is actually a really nice human being, can be a really good team player, and gives a great contribution to the team.”

Bottas then subtly hinted at how the 39-year-old can outfox Leclerc when it comes down to it. “But he will also learn that Lewis is extremely fast and consistent, and rarely does mistakes,” he added. “So, I don’t need to give any advice to Charles. He is a grown-up man and has some experience already. He’s well-settled in the team, so I think they’ll be just fine as teammates. But yeah, Lewis will give him a good ride, no doubt.”

2025 undoubtedly could be Ferrari’s most challenging yet rewarding year. Bottas’s optimistic statements, however, come in stark contrast to what several other F1 insiders are expecting.

Former McLaren Insider’s ‘death warrant’ prediction for Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc is well set at Ferrari in his sixth year racing with them. As a result, 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button believes the 26-year-old can make the atmosphere “really, really difficult” for Lewis Hamilton. Contrastingly, former McLaren engineer Marc Priestley understands that Hamilton could be favored.

“Leclerc is reasonably experienced now. He has a few years under his belt and is not a rookie,” Priestley told OLBG, adding, “If a driver accepts they’re going to be the second driver of the team, you sign your own death warrant and lose performance from that. Leclerc needs to come into the team next year, thinking he’ll be better than Hamilton.”

Though Button and Priestley’s predictions favor different drivers, the bottom line is the same: a potential conflict. Essentially, Team Principal Frederic Vasseur might have increased the complexities rather than streamlining the processes to beat Red Bull. But till the future teammates hit the track in 2025, it is just a game of ifs and buts.