Nico Rosberg makes bold prediction on whether Lewis Hamilton will beat Charles Leclerc at Ferrari in 2025

Lewis Hamilton's former teammate, Nico Rosberg, has made a bold prediction ahead of the Brit's first season with Ferrari.

Ahead of the 2025 campaign, Hamilton made a high-profile transfer after leaving Mercedes for Ferrari, a move that sent shockwaves through the sporting world when it was announced last year.

Last week, Hamilton suffered his first crash as a Ferrari man after he lost control during a testing session held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

This week, his fortunes changed slightly as he managed to go faster than teammate Charles Leclerc during the Pirelli 2026 tyre test.

All eyes will be on Hamilton come March when the season begins, many fans have been wondering how the seven-time world champion would fare against the likes of Leclerc, the McLarens and the Red Bulls.

Speaking recently about Hamilton's battle with Leclerc, former teammate Rosberg, who battled the Brit for three years at Mercedes before beating him to the 2016 title, told La Gazzetta dello Sport, via Sports Mole: "Lewis doesn't have to prove anything to anyone anymore. And yet he has looked for a new way to push the boundaries – his new start at Ferrari.

"I know that he is filled with a deep love of motorsport and a burning desire to explore himself anew."

Rosberg added: "A change of scenery like he is having now can rekindle the inner fire in a racing driver. Lewis is already a legend. I think that if he takes such a risk at this stage of his career, it says everything about his hunger for success.

"Lewis will grow with his task and develop further, as a racing driver and as a person."

Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were teammates at Mercedes. Image: Getty

The German then warned that it would be the wrong move to rule out Hamilton.

Rosberg continued: "I see Max Verstappen as above all the other drivers. Perhaps the best of the young generation is George Russell, but Charles is at a similarly high level. Lewis, on the other hand, struggled quite a bit in 2024 and you got the impression that he didn't know exactly why that was. If we start on this basis, then Charles will beat Hamilton, just as George beat Lewis.

"But be careful. Hamilton is the greatest of all time and I trust him to be able to return to his usual level. Then it could easily end up with him being slightly ahead of Leclerc at the end of the year."