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Lewis Hamilton v Charles Leclerc: A bigger challenge than George Russell?
Lewis Hamilton will have a new challenge in the 2025 F1 season as he teams up with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari. The pairing of Hamilton, a seven-time World Champion, and Leclerc, one of the brightest talents in the sport, is expected to be one of the strongest on the grid. However, this new partnership also presents a significant challenge for Hamilton, as he faces a fresh rival in his bid to remain at the top of the sport.
Hamilton’s move to Ferrari comes after a difficult 2024 season, his worst in 18 years of Formula 1. The British driver was outperformed by his Mercedes teammate, George Russell, in both qualifying and race performances. Russell, known for his strong qualifying skills, managed to beat Hamilton consistently over the course of their time together. In their three years as teammates, Russell only lost the qualifying battle in their first year. By 2023, they were tied, but in 2024, Russell firmly established himself as the quicker driver on Saturdays.
Despite Russell’s advantage in qualifying, Hamilton has always had a knack for delivering strong race performances. Even when Russell outqualified him, Hamilton often managed to claw back time during the race. In fact, while Hamilton didn’t finish ahead of Russell in the championship standings in 2022 and 2024, his race-day pace remained competitive. A prime example of this came in the final race of the 2024 season in Abu Dhabi, where Hamilton executed a stunning last-lap overtake on Russell, showing the world that he still possesses his signature “Hammer time” ability. It was a reminder of Hamilton’s enduring skill and determination.
In terms of their overall record, Hamilton has lost the qualifying battle to Russell with a 29-39 head-to-head record. However, when it comes to race performances, the two drivers are evenly matched with a 34-34 score. In total points scored for Mercedes, Hamilton edges out Russell with 697 points compared to Russell’s 695. These statistics reflect the closely fought rivalry between two elite drivers during their time as teammates.
As Hamilton prepares for the 2025 season, where he will join Ferrari, the big question remains: will he be able to outperform Leclerc? The Monegasque driver is widely regarded as one of the best qualifiers on the grid, much like Russell. Leclerc’s ability to extract the maximum from his car over a single lap has made him a formidable competitor in qualifying sessions. However, Leclerc has struggled to consistently convert his pole positions into race wins. Of the 26 times he has started from pole, he has only managed five victories—a conversion rate of just 19.23%, one of the lowest in Formula 1 history.
In contrast, Hamilton is one of the best at converting pole positions into wins, with a 58.65% success rate. He ranks among the sport’s greats in this category, alongside legends like Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Alberto Ascari, and Jenson Button. However, even Hamilton’s impressive record pales in comparison to Max Verstappen, who boasts an astonishing 80% pole-to-win conversion rate, making him the undisputed king in this statistic.
Leclerc’s record against his previous teammates further highlights the challenge Hamilton will face. In his rivalry with Carlos Sainz, Leclerc has emerged as the stronger driver, winning the overall qualifying head-to-head 54-32 and the race head-to-head 52-34. Leclerc has also outscored Sainz in total points for Ferrari, with 1029 points to Sainz’s 900.5 over their four years as teammates. Even against Sebastian Vettel, Leclerc managed to come out on top, winning the qualifying battle 25-13 and narrowly edging Vettel 19-17 in race performances, despite Vettel’s struggles in 2020 before moving to Aston Martin.
Given Leclerc’s strong record against established drivers, it’s safe to say that Hamilton will face a tougher challenge in 2025 than he did with Russell. Leclerc has shown no fear in taking on experienced champions and has proven his ability to outperform his teammates. Furthermore, he is now the fourth most experienced driver for Ferrari in terms of races completed and is second in terms of points scored, with 1387 points—just 23 behind Vettel’s tally of 1400.
For Hamilton, improving his qualifying performance will be crucial if he hopes to beat Leclerc in 2025. Leclerc’s prowess over a single lap makes him one of the toughest opponents on the grid, and he remains unbeaten by a teammate in qualifying. However, Leclerc, like Russell, tends to struggle more in race situations, and this is where Hamilton will need to capitalize. If Hamilton can take advantage of Leclerc’s race-day vulnerabilities, he may be able to establish himself as Ferrari’s lead driver and position himself for success ahead of the new technical regulations set to take effect in 2026.
The battle between Hamilton and Leclerc promises to be one of the most exciting storylines of the 2025 season, as the veteran World Champion looks to assert his dominance at Ferrari while facing off against one of the sport’s rising stars.