© Jiri Krenek for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya says in 2025 Charles Leclerc “is going to feel like he’s got the upper hand, but give it about six or seven races, and if the car is competitive, Lewis is going to win everything”.
In an interview with Instant Casino, former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya discussed Lewis Hamilton’s 2025 move to Ferrari, and his chances against his new team-mate Charles Leclerc.
“Lewis is mature enough to appreciate that in the short-term he is going to struggle a little bit, learning the Ferrari thing,” Montoya said.
“Charles is going to feel like he’s got the upper hand, but give it about six or seven races, and if the car is competitive, Lewis is going to win everything.”
As for Max Verstappen, Montoya believes he will eventually end up at Mercedes.
“I think Max will end up leaving in a couple of years. He won’t leave the sport. It’s the ultimate. He’ll leave Red Bull.
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“He doesn’t have it that difficult. Yes, it’s hard because he works really hard. He has a stable job. And he kind of controls a lot of what happens.
“The big question is, is Max willing to play cool if 2026 is bad? You know, if Red Bull comes with the powertrains and it’s not where it needs to be, is Max going to be happy running tenth? No.
“And [if] Mercedes comes with an offer, he is going to jump ship straight away. It’s very easy to be loyal when you win in races.
“If I was in his shoes for sure I would be looking at that already. It would surprise me if he’s not.
“Publicly he would say, ’no way,’ but internally I would be surprised if a conversation was not going on,” the Colombian concluded.
