Lewis Hamilton already having big Ferrari influence as Charles Leclerc gets boost

Lewis Hamilton doesn’t join Ferrari until 2025, but the seven-time world champion is already having an influence.

Ferrari are already preparing for Lewis Hamilton’s arrival

Charles Leclerc lifts lid on Ferrari updates during Lewis Hamilton negotiations

Ferrari have reportedly made the first major design decision for their 2025 challenger, changing to a pull-rod front suspension in order to better accommodate the driving style of Lewis Hamilton, who will arrive at Maranello after the 2024 campaign draws to a close.

According to a report from the Italian news outlet Formu1a.uno, the decision to move to a pull-rod suspension has already been made. This change will require Ferrari to design a brand-new chassis for the 2025 campaign.

By moving to a pull-rod suspension system, Ferrari will be moving closer to the design philosophies of the current two leading teams in F1 – Red Bull and McLaren – both of whom have been committed to their design paths.

Pull-rod suspensions reportedly give teams cleaner airflow through the front the underfloor at the front of the car, which is critical to extracting lap time from the ground-effect F1 cars.

This news will also come as a boost to Charles Leclerc, who will benefit from the new pull-rod suspension as his driving style is much more closely aligned with Hamilton’s than with current Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz.

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Charles Leclerc will benefit from the arrival of Lewis Hamilton (Image: Getty)

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The arrival of Hamilton is, while challenging for Leclerc from the perspective of the intra-team battle, an exciting opportunity. Speaking to Motorsport Italy about the impact the Brit will have, he explained: “When you have a seven-time world champion joining the team it is always good news, very interesting and very motivating.

“It is interesting because I will be able to learn from one of the best drivers in the entire history of F1, and it is very motivating because I am intrigued by the comparison with Lewis in the same car. For these two reasons, I can’t wait to start this new chapter, but I still want to say that I have always got on very well with Carlos as well.”

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur is equally as excited about the transfer. “Even for Charles, having Lewis there will be very useful,” he told L’Equipe. “He is a monster in terms of organisation and approaching the race. He will raise the level of our demands and preparation.

“I feel he wants to win so badly. Lewis is an excellent motivator. It’s not just a question of setting a faster lap time. It is also about knowing we have 1,500 people who want to compete because he is there, because he pushes, because he will not settle for the first best answer he gets.”