One of the biggest stories of the 2025 Formula 1 season will be how Lewis Hamilton gets on at Ferrari.
It was nearly a year ago that the seven-time world champion announced he would be leaving Mercedes at the end of 2024 to join the Maranello-based squad.
It will be the first time that Hamilton has raced with anything other than Mercedes power in F1, having spent his 17-year career with teams that have used their engines.
Hamilton received considerable backing from Mercedes and McLaren before joining the grid in 2007, which makes this move significant in what is likely the final move of his career as he goes for an eighth world title.
The Briton will go up against Charles Leclerc, which is expected to be a tough challenge for Hamilton particularly in qualifying where he has not been strong in the last two years.
Former Dutch racing driver Jeroen Bleekemolen has predicted who he thinks will come out on top of the head-to-head when discussing with RacingNews365.nl.
Jeroen Bleekemolen predicts Charles Leclerc to be faster than Lewis Hamilton
Leclerc has beat Carlos Sainz on three of the four occasions they have been teammates, while Hamilton only beat George Russell once in three years.
The Monogasque driver is known for his impressive pace in qualifying, which is what earned him an iconic first victory at his home race in 2024. Bleekemolen expects this to favour Leclerc when discussing his chances.
“I can see that Leclerc is faster. The car has to fit Hamilton and then everything has to go just as well. You occasionally see that people change teams, then they don’t do well and then they change again. And then suddenly they are back”, said Bleekemolen.
“It’s still a big question. That’s why I say it’s very exciting how the first race will go, just like the first test days. Because that often gives a good indication for the rest of the year.”
Lewis Hamilton to get Sebastian Vettel’s engineering team
Hamilton will be given a champions welcome at Ferrari with the team set to give him use of Enzo Ferrari’s old house in Maranello, which Michael Schumacher previously used.
He will also use Sebastian Vettel’s old engineering team, which is headed by Riccardo Adami, along with the right-hand side of the garage.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Lewis Hamilton’s 2025 Ferrari move from wage to when Mercedes knew
Anthony Davidson hopes that Hamilton can recapture the ‘magic’ that brought him title success at Mercedes, with the move to Ferrari.
Hamilton still has the hunger in F1, as evidenced by his drives at Silverstone and comeback through the field at both Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi last year.
