New Ferrari F1 driver Lewis Hamilton faces a difficult battle towards Charles Leclerc within the 2025 F1 marketing campaign, with the seven-time world champion up towards one in every of Method 1’s most formidable qualifiers. The previous Mercedes man enters the season after his most troublesome qualifying marketing campaign thus far, the place he was outperformed by George Russell 19-5. The British driver typically struggled to progress into Q3 when the stress was highest, highlighting his difficulties with single-lap tempo.
In stark distinction, Leclerc outperformed his teammate Carlos Sainz in 14 of the 23 qualifying periods they contested, securing three pole positions to carry his profession tally to 26. This spectacular whole locations him simply outdoors the highest 10 all-time qualifiers, tied for eleventh with Mika Hakkinen. An additional 4 poles subsequent season would see him surpass Juan Manuel Fangio and match Nico Rosberg.
Since becoming a member of Ferrari in 2019, the Monegasque driver has persistently outqualified his teammates with a dominant mixture rating of 82-45, remaining unbeaten in full-season qualifying battles. This file consists of clashes with the four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and the multi-race winner Carlos Sainz, cementing Charles Leclerc’s status as a standout qualifier. For the British driver, who could also be coming into the twilight of his profession, the problem of dealing with Charles Leclerc at his peak is a frightening prospect.
The Maranello workforce secured Lewis Hamilton’s providers even earlier than the beginning of the 2024 season, however had his contract been up a 12 months later, it’s unsure whether or not the workforce would have made the identical transfer. Nevertheless, Method 1 journalist and motorsport skilled Ralf Bach, talking on the F1-Insider YouTube channel, revealed that the seven-time F1 world champion has had candid discussions with Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur about his struggles in qualifying. If Hamilton is ready to pinpoint the reason for his difficulties, he might have an opportunity to deal with the problem and enhance his kind in 2025. This open communication with the French supervisor, who has an extended historical past of working with Lewis Hamilton within the junior classes, might have performed a key position within the Englishman’s resolution to affix the Maranello outfit.
Ralf Bach talked about that Fred Vasseur had been Hamilton’s workforce boss in each Method 3 and GP2, and that the 2 have identified one another for a very long time. The Method 1 journalist advised that the French supervisor possible has no doubts about Hamilton, because the British driver had defined to him exactly the place the problems had been in his qualifying performances at Mercedes.
Practically 20 years in the past, Lewis Hamilton shared with Fred Vasseur his dream of racing for Ferrari. As Hamilton now makes the extremely anticipated transfer to the Scuderia, this might turn into a defining second in Vasseur’s profession as Ferrari’s workforce principal, shaping his legacy throughout the sport.
Hamilton’s profession might have unfolded fairly otherwise, particularly contemplating that is solely the second time in his illustrious 18-year F1 journey that he’s switching groups. A former McLaren colleague revealed that in 2008, Sebastian Vettel practically joined McLaren alongside Hamilton. Had that partnership materialized, Vettel’s presence may need outshone Heikki Kovalainen, probably altering the championship end result in favor of Felipe Massa.
Quick ahead 4 years, and Hamilton made one other pivotal resolution. Leaving McLaren at simply the precise time, he moved to Mercedes simply because the workforce was on the cusp of a dominant period, whereas the British workforce started to battle from 2013 onwards.
Now, Lewis Hamilton’s fairy-tale transfer to the Maranello workforce not solely marks the beginning of a brand new chapter but in addition serves as a tribute to his idol, Ayrton Senna. Had destiny not intervened with Ayrton Senna’s tragic accident, the Brazilian legend may need ended his profession with Ferrari. In 2025, Lewis Hamilton will carry ahead the spirit of his hero as he steps into the long-lasting pink automotive, embracing a brand new problem within the sport’s most prestigious F1 workforce.
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