Nico Rosberg makes Lewis Hamilton claim at Ferrari based on George Russell’s form

Lewis Hamilton will contest his final race at Mercedes during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in what is going to be an emotional send-off after their 11-year partnership.

The seven-time world champion will make his debut with Ferrari next year alongside Charles Leclerc, in what is going to be a highly anticipated move for next season.

Hamilton will inherit the same engineering team used by Sebastian Vettel when he moves to Ferrari, while the team will also give him the benefit of having the right-hand side of the garage which he currently has at Mercedes.

Ferrari is also giving Hamilton access to Enzo Ferrari’s old Maranello home, a privilege previously only enjoyed by Michael Schumacher. There will be a lot of scrutiny over how Hamilton performs against Leclerc in his debut year at Maranello, considering his form at Mercedes this year.

Nico Rosberg, who went up against Hamilton as a teammate between the 2013 and 2016 seasons at Mercedes, has claimed the seven-time world champion will have his work cut out when discussing the move on Sky Sports F1 (07/12 12:56pm.

Nico Rosberg thinks Charles Leclerc will beat Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

It has not been the easiest year for Hamilton at Mercedes, having struggled to get to grips with the W15 in the same way as George Russell.

Rosberg has pointed to Hamilton’s form against Russell as a potential warning sign, considering how well Leclerc has dealt with Carlos Sainz since he joined Ferrari in 2021.

“If you take today, then definitely Charles because he will be on a similar level to George Russell, which is kind of the best of the next generation level although Verstappen is a little higher again. Lewis is just struggling at the moment and we don’t really know why,” said Rosberg.

“If it’s as of today, then Charles will beat him in the same way George Russell is beating him. But Lewis is the greatest of all time, so we still give him the benefit of the doubt that he can be back to his usual best and then he should be ahead of Charles at the end of the year.”

George Russell can beat Lewis Hamilton in one final head-to-head stat

Hamilton has comfortably been out-qualified by George Russell this year, having lost out on 19 occasions while he has only started ahead at five races.

The same can be said in the race, with Russell finishing ahead on 13 occasions while Hamilton has only managed to beat his fellow Briton on six occasions.

Interestingly, they both head into their final race together on the same total points scored since they became teammates in 2021.

If Russell scores more points, he will become the second teammate to Hamilton who has outscored him over their time as teammates, after Jenson Button managed that feat during the 2010-2012 seasons.