Lewis Hamilton will become only the 13th British driver yet to race for Ferrari when he debuts for the Scuderia at the 2025 season-opening Australian Grand Prix this March.
The 40-year-old has followed in the footsteps of Nigel Mansell and Eddie Irvine by becoming a full-time Scuderia star. Hamilton even follows new Haas driver Oliver Bearman in racing for the pride of Italy, after the 19-year-old stood in for Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia last season.
Hamilton has now replaced Sainz permanently in the Ferrari fold after deciding one year ago to depart Mercedes. And while Gerhard Berger can see positives from the Briton’s arrival for Charles Leclerc, the Ferrari icon has diminished the Monegasque’s advantage over Hamilton.
Gerhard Berger thinks Charles Leclerc may be the ‘quicker’ Ferrari driver over Lewis Hamilton
Berger feels Leclerc might prove to be ‘a little bit quicker’ than Hamilton over a single, flying lap with the 27-year-old widely regarded as one of the fastest Formula 1 drivers in qualifying today. But single lap pace alone will not be enough for Leclerc to lead Ferrari over Hamilton.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari from Mercedes
Ten-time Grand Prix winner Berger, who enjoyed two spells at the Scuderia, claims 105-time Grand Prix winner Hamilton’s knowledge and experiences should ensure he proves to be the more complete package over eight-time Grand Prix winner Leclerc when the chips are down.
Hamilton’s ability to motivate Ferrari, with the Stevenage-born star arriving as a seven-time Formula 1 champion, will also add another arrow to his quiver against Leclerc. So, Berger is confident of who will come out on top entering their respective 19th and eighth campaigns.
“Lewis will be a motivator, it will be positive for Ferrari,” Berger told Motor Sport Magazine. “Also, it’s great for Leclerc to have the chance to compete against a seven-time champion.
“He may be a little bit quicker, so if he does better than Hamilton then that’s great for his CV. It’s about who is better all round, not about who is faster, and Lewis knows what to do, how to win.”
Lewis Hamilton could learn from Charles Leclerc after struggling in qualifying at Mercedes
Berger will not be alone in thinking Leclerc may be the faster Ferrari driver against Hamilton over a flying lap. Even Bearman rates Leclerc as the best qualifier in F1 over Hamilton, while Martin Brundle feels Leclerc is the fastest F1 driver over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, as well.
Such is the Monegasque’s strengths that Giedo van der Garde has even suggested Hamilton can ‘learn a lot’ from Leclerc in qualifying after a few iffy years at Mercedes saw the Briton lose his once prolific qualifying pace. For many years, Hamilton was the best qualifier in F1.
For their part, Mercedes felt Hamilton struggled in qualifying in 2024 as he pushed too hard in crucial moments. His almost desperation to extract whatever pace the W15 had resulted in Hamilton locking up and bowing out in Q1 in China and qualifying in just P10 in Las Vegas.
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