NWSL Stars Train With Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc as Lewis Hamilton Flaunts Soccer Tricks Ahead of Miami GP

By Pune Media On May 1, 2025

It’s barely been 24 hours since Ferrari dropped a huge surprise on F1 ahead of the Miami GP. After all, few would’ve guessed the manufacturer with the iconic practicing horse logo would drop their equally iconic red livery ahead of the upcoming Grand Prix. Yet that’s exactly what happened when they unveiled hey special white and blue racing suits for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, who spoke about victory during the event. Yet that was far from the only surprise, as Leclerc later teamed up with two NWSL stars.

While he’s known for speedy laps across F1 tracks, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton surprised fans at the PUMAxFerrari event. The F1 racer teamed up with Chicago Stars FC midfielder Julia Grosso and Ludmila Silva to show off some serious moves with a soccer ball. The 27-year-old racers didn’t just timidly pass the ball to the pros but busted some trick shots like juggling the ball on their knees. But wait, there’s more.

The F1 driver spent quite some time with the NWSL stars passing the ball without it midair. And while you rightly expect Grosso and Silva to excel at it, Charles Leclerc kept up. “Charles Leclerc shows off his soccer skills with Chicago Stars FC’s @juliagrosso7 and @ludmiladasilva09oficial,” GQ Sports revealed while posting the footage on Instagram. Another clip showed the F1 icon Lewis Hamilton getting in on the ball dribbling action.

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While the clip didn’t show Hamilton passing the ball around with soccer pros, he successfully landed some tough dribbling skills and took shots at the mini goal post at the event. Leclerc even acted as the goalkeeper for a while. Yet, soccer trick aside, Charles Leclerc revealed that he and Hamilton have only one thing on their minds, and that’s winning.

“The goal after the podium in Saudi Arabia? Victory. Things definitely went well in Jeddah, we had a strong weekend, and we’re going in the right direction. We’re continuing to push in this interesting direction I’ve found. This time, we also had more time to practice on the simulator,” LeClerc told Sky Sport Italia after Ferrari unveiled the special racing suits created to commemorate their one-year partnership with HP. Yet, despite the fun times, things are not looking great for Grosso and Silva’s NWSL team.

Chicago’s star struggles to shine in the NWSL

To say the Chicago Stars had a terrible start to the season would be an understatement. In fact, the team is currently in damage control more after they fired second-year head coach Lorne Donaldson. The soccer team has found itself at the bottom of the NWSL standings after Donaldson managed to win only one of the six games this season.

Stars General Manager Richard Feuz issued an official statement after parting ways with their now-former head coach. “We are grateful to Lorne Donaldson for the culture, respect and sense of self-belief he helped build within our squad,” said the GM. While the team had high hopes from the former Jamaican Women’s team coach, things didn’t work out.

The 68-year-old barely dragged the Stars to the 2023 playoffs after finishing in last place with a 10-14-2 record. Although a team firing its head coach is nothing new in the world of sports, there’s a more alarming issue. The NWSL team wasted no time, naming Masaki Hemmi, their first assistant coach, as interim head coach on Wednesday.

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However, Hemmi is the Chicago Stars’ 5th head coach since 2021. Red Stars reporter Joe Chatz also highlighted how hiring Hemmi was a surprising move considering Ella Masar’s presence on the Chicago Stars FC assistant coach roster. Hemmi’s only women’s soccer coaching experience before the Chicago Stars FC was with INAC Kobe in Japan.

Meanwhile, Chatz argued that Stars’ assistant coach Ella Masar has extensive on-field experience with several soccer clubs and the USWNT. She also worked as an assistant for the NWSL’s Kansas City Current. Yet, what did you think of Charles Leclerc’s soccer skills and the Red Stars’ sudden firing of their coach? Tell us in the comments.

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