Glum prediction made for Lewis Hamilton’s hopes against Charles Leclerc

Lewis Hamilton is stepping into a Ferrari this year, aiming to add one final chapter to his esteemed Formula 1 career.

But he is coming up against another elite teammate in Charles Leclerc who has greater experience of their machine, and the team surrounding it, plus has youth on his side.

Hamilton is emerging from a glum 2024 when, although he arrested his winless streak at Silverstone last summer, he trailed Mercedes teammate George Russell badly on Saturdays.

Hamilton will need to qualify better in 2025 if he stands any chance of establishing himself as Ferrari’s top driver.

Our writers predicted how Hamilton would fare this year…

Connor McDonagh: The big question mark going into 2024 is Lewis Hamilton. It’s hard to believe that he suddenly became worse overnight, which is what happened last season if you compared it to 2023.

Realistically, it’s going to be somewhere in the middle.

He’s no doubt going to be better than what we saw in his final swansong with Mercedes, but is he going to perform at a world champion, Max Verstappen-like level?

It’s unlikely. Leclerc will certainly hold the advantage on a Saturday - and given the Monegasque’s notable improvement in race trim over the years, it’s hard to see Hamilton coming out on top in 2025.

Lewis Duncan: The short answer to this is: yes. Hamilton is stepping into Ferrari as the Scuderia looks on the up again after a solid - if still below expectations - 2024.

Five wins between Carlos Sainz and Leclerc exceeded Mercedes’ tally, while Ferrari narrowly missed out on the constructors’ title by 14 points.

Hamilton’s two victories put his winless 2022 and 2023 campaigns firmly behind him, and a fresh challenge at this stage of his career could be just what he needs to fire on all cylinders again.

Leclerc is a tough team-mate, a harder prospect than George Russell, which will give Hamilton his toughest intra-team battle to date.

But, again, that could be exactly what he needs to start bothering the championship race.

A title challenge in year one is probably unlikely. He’ll need time to get used to the car, with his input for 2026 more likely to give him a machine a bit more tailored to his driving style.

So, expect race wins. Expect his smile to come back. But don’t expect him to be title favourite in 2025.

Lewis Larkam: I think Hamilton’s spell at Ferrari will be one of success, adding further to his already-illustrious grand prix career.

Based on my prediction that he will win the championship, it’s safe to assume that the seven-time world champion will not only arrest his qualifying woes, but also win races and beat teammate Leclerc during their first season as teammates.

I say this with the caveat that Leclerc will push Hamilton incredibly hard, and have the edge in qualifying.