Ferrari have confirmed that Lewis Hamilton will be replaced by Arthur Leclerc for the first practice ahead of this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Arthur Leclerc is the brother of Charles, and the two previously partnered each other in FP1 ahead of last season’s Abu Dhabi GP.
The 25-year-old is no stranger to Ferrari, as, despite leaving its driver academy in 2023, he became a development driver for the Italian team and this year balanced that role with a drive for AF Corse in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup. Speaking about his brother last year, Charles Leclerc said: “We spoke about it, but he’s my brother – I don’t have to speak to him to know what he feels or what he thinks, and I know he’s going to do a great job.
“He’s been exceptional on the simulator this year, and he has helped us so much. It’s going to be a super good exercise to correlate that with the virtual laps he does quite often on the sim, and it’s going to be a very special moment for him. So I hope everything will go well, and I’m really happy.”
The reason for the move is because Ferrari still need to field a rookie driver in one more FP1 session, as part of the mandatory rule all teams must follow. As a result of the change, the seven-time world champion will return to his SF-25 for second practice, the most representative practice session in Abu Dhabi.
The 2025 season reaches its conclusion at Yas Marina Circuit this weekend – and the race will be a championship decider. But for Hamilton, it has been another frustrating year.
Despite the seven-time world champion finishing in the top-10 18 times this season, he has failed to finish on the podium. And former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher speculated after the Qatar Grand Prix at the weekend that Hamilton might call time on his career.
Lewis Hamilton is, of course, a seven-time world champion, but that doesn’t matter if the performance isn’t right,” he told Sky Deutschland.
“I have to say, that’s why he was so frustrated. He realised that he was at his limit again, that he just wasn’t fast enough.
“And to be honest, if it ends like this and it’s the same on the last two races, then we should really encourage him to perhaps make way for someone who still has their whole future ahead of them, someone who can also help Ferrari move forward in the future.
“I hear people say, ‘You’re bashing Hamilton’, so let’s put that aside, because I really wish him well, but still, it does something to people when he says, ‘Yes, I try, I try, and the more I try, the worse it gets from his point of view’, and that’s just a sign that, as I often say, the film is too fast now.
“For some reason, he can’t bring it all together anymore. He no longer has that harmony over an entire lap, and he no longer has that feel-good factor in the car, those processes of braking, accelerating, shifting gears and so on.
“In other words, being at his optimum. And that’s simply the point where, as a driver, you have to say, ‘OK, I think it’s time to stop.’”
Hamilton, however, is adamant he’s not going anywhere. Speaking at the weekend, he said: “No, no, no. I’m excited for a new generation of car. Because this has been the worst-designed one that I remember in my phase.
“The 2009 generation was pretty bad as well, but at least we had better tyres, and better grip. But this one with the bouncing, the stiffness, it’s just not been enjoyable period.
“And the worst racing, none of us can overtake. What’s the point of having a race if no one can overtake?”