Lewis Hamilton will “politically assert himself as Ferrari’s global superstar” over Charles Leclerc, claims Helmut Marko

Red Bull Formula 1 Teams director Helmut Marko has made an interesting claim following Lewis Hamilton's move to Scuderia Ferrari.

In the early days of February, Hamilton shocked the F1 community by activating an exit clause in his current Mercedes contract. This allowed him to join another team from 2025 onwards, and he has since made his switch to the Prancing Horses.

Following the Briton's switch, Marko shared his predictions for 2025, when the seven-time Formula 1 world champion will share the same garage with Charles Leclerc.

According to Motorsport Week, the Austrian director praised Leclerc's strong pace and feels it will ensure he maintains an advantage over Lewis Hamilton over a lap. However, he believes Hamilton will win races and that his assertive influence will make him a worldwide star at Ferrari instead of their protege Leclerc.

A part of Motorsport Week's article read:

“Marko predicts that Leclerc’s renowned qualifying pace will see him hold the 'advantage over one lap,' but insists that Hamilton will prevail when it comes to races. Red Bull’s long-serving talent spotter is also convinced that the current Mercedes driver will 'politically assert himself as Ferrari’s global superstar' over the Monegasque.”

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Helmut Marko's strong jibe on Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari

When Hamilton's shocking move to the team in red was announced, Marko stole the spotlight with his strong claims against the winningest driver of Formula 1.

The Red Bull director didn't shy away from taking a jibe at the Briton, saying (via firstsportz):

"There are two things that Hamilton cannot swallow. The first is that he is no longer world champion and that it will not be easy to become one again. He knows he can't settle in Red Bull and that Ferrari might be better for him than Mercedes...

"Sporting aspect aside, Hamilton is not at all happy that he is no longer the highest paid driver on the starting grid, given that now the highest paid is [Max] Verstappen. This fact can change with the help of Ferrari."

Per Crash.net, Lewis Hamilton is set to rake in a whopping $100 million per year from his multi-year deal, including image rights, remunerations, bonuses, etc. This is over $30 million more than the $70 million earned by the 2023 season's highest-paid driver, Max Verstappen.