Ralf Schumacher has claimed Lewis Hamilton ‘expects’ to be Ferrari’s No 1 driver in the ‘home straight’ of his career.
The Briton is leaving Mercedes at the end of the campaign and, given his struggles in the sport over the past few years, that move can’t come quickly enough.
Hamilton has won six of his seven titles while racing with the Silver Arrows, establishing himself as one of the greatest drivers of all time in the process.
He is leaving for Ferrari to boost his chances of winning a record eighth crown, which would move him ahead of Michael Schumacher in the history books.
Lewis Hamilton is moving to Ferrari at the end of the season as he hunts a record eighth F1 title
Now, Ralf has suggested Hamilton ‘expects’ to be the team’s main driver ahead of Charles Leclerc.
And he also believes his move to Ferrari is about him ‘earning real money again’, too.
“That’s a good question,” he told Sport1 when asked if Hamilton could inspire a fresh era of Ferrari dominance.
“One thing is certain: Fred Vasseur – now in his second year as team principal – has paved the way.
“The car has improved, calm has returned to the team and he is doing everything he can to make Ferrari even stronger in the future with new technicians.
“But the crucial question is: How good is Lewis Hamilton still? How motivated is he?
“He expects that everything will be done to make him feel comfortable, that he is number one in the team.
“But I don’t think Charles Leclerc sees himself as the second driver at Ferrari.
“It’s a test for him. He has to beat Hamilton, who is in the home straight of his career due to his age.
“But Leclerc has advantages: He is a Ferrari pupil and speaks perfect Italian. That’s why it will be exciting to see how everything develops at Ferrari.
“But I can understand Lewis: He wanted to earn real money again and drive for a brand that has so much appeal that he can still use it after his active career.”
It will be fascinating to see how Hamilton fares at Ferrari.
He will be replacing Carlos Sainz Jr, with the Spaniard currently without a team for next year.
Back in February, Leclerc opened up about Hamilton.
And the 26-year-old admitted he was informed of developments as they happened – and that the Briton’s move wasn’t a surprise to him.
Lewis Hamilton ‘expects’ to be the main driver at Ferrari, according to Ralf Schumacher
“Well, obviously these kind of deals are not finalised overnight, so it takes of course time,” said Leclerc.
“I was aware of those discussions before signing my [new] deal.
“It didn’t come out as a surprise after signing.
“For the rest, I don’t want to comment on it much, mostly out of respect for Carlos.
“We’ve had great years together and we have one more together to do.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will be team-mates at Ferrari next year
“We will do absolutely everything to finish on the highest note possible.
“Obviously Lewis is an incredible driver, the most successful in history, with a lot of experience as well, which he will bring to the team and obviously myself, which is a good thing.”
He added: “Yes, we’ve had discussions with Lewis, especially when everything was announced and official. We texted each other of course.
“As I said, Lewis is a great champion with a lot of experience and so much success. It’s always interesting to have a new team-mate as you learn different ways of working and of driving.
“Even more so when my new team-mate is a seven-time world champion.”
