Lewis Hamilton may be joining Ferrari at a low point of his Formula 1 career if the season continues on its current trajectory. The seven-time world champion has made his poorest-ever start to a campaign.
Hamilton has failed to score a podium, or even finish in the top five, at any of the first eight races. To make matters worse, Mercedes teammate George Russell has had a considerable advantage so far.
Russell leads the qualifying head-to-head 7-1, the third largest margin on the F1 grid after Red Bull (8-0 Max Verstappen) and Williams (7-0 Alex Albon). The 26-year-old is also 6-2 up in the races, and 12 points ahead in the championship.
Meanwhile, his future Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc is flying. Leclerc got out the blocks slowly, finishing behind Carlos Sainz in each of the first three races they both started.
However, he’s asserted himself in his battle with the departing Spaniard since. The Monegasque has prevailed in every meaningful session since Sprint qualifying at the Chinese GP and won in Monaco last weekend.
In stark contrast to Hamilton, Leclerc has amassed his highest-ever points tally after eight races with 138. That puts him second in the drivers’ championship, 31 points behind leader Max Verstappen.
Peter Windsor says Lewis Hamilton won’t underestimate Charles Leclerc at Ferrari
Speaking in a video on the Cameron F1 YouTube channel, journalist Peter Windsor said Hamilton would join Ferrari with the right mindset. He feels he won’t be ‘blinkered’ like longtime rival Fernando Alonso was back in 2007.
Alonso arrived at McLaren having won back-to-back titles, and went up against a rookie in Hamilton. At the end of an acrimonious season, they finished level on points, just one behind champion Kimi Raikkonen.
That prompted Alonso to return to Renault for 2008, with Hamilton going on to win the title the following season. Leclerc may not be a rookie, but he still can’t compare when it comes to experience and success.
However, Windsor believes that Hamilton will try to learn from him rather than underestimating him. He knows he has a real test in store up against the 24-time pole-sitter.
“I think you’ll see Lewis lifting his game when he goes to Ferrari,” Windsor said. “He won’t go there blinkered like Fernando Alonso going to McLaren for the first time and thinking he’s going to conquer the world and being shocked by how good Lewis is.”
“I think it’s going to be Lewis going there, with his eyes open, thinking ‘I’ve still got something to learn. This guy Leclerc is really good and I want to know what makes him so good’, and that’s what makes Lewis Hamilton so good.”
Valtteri Bottas warns Charles Leclerc about Lewis Hamilton test
The battle between Hamilton and Leclerc promises to be enthralling. The former is hoping to win an unprecedented eighth world championship in the iconic scarlet red, while the latter is gunning for his first title.
While Leclerc doesn’t have a history of falling out with his teammates, Sebastian Vettel thinks it will be a ‘difficult’ dynamic for Ferrari to manage. Mika Hakkinen has backed the former Sauber driver to cause Hamilton problems.
Having raced alongside Hamilton for five years at Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas says Leclerc will soon realise that he’s ‘extremely fast’ and rarely makes mistakes. One former F1 driver has warned him that he’ll be ‘eaten’ by the veteran if he continues to be ‘too nice’.
Hamilton’s last major move from McLaren to Mercedes proved to be a masterstroke as he won six world titles in the space of seven seasons. He’s joining Ferrari in the midst of their resurgence, but Leclerc stands in the way of a dream conclusion to his F1 career.
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