Formula 1 is ready for a revolution with the arrival of Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, but there are still some questions: Nico Rosberg raises doubts about the comparison with Charles Leclerc. The issue mainly concerns qualifying, where the Englishman particularly struggled during 2024. In the head-to-head with George Russell, the seven-time world champion finishes behind: the young teammate wins 19 to 5.
The wait is almost over, soon every question mark will finally be erased. Just a few more weeks and Lewis Hamilton will complete his first laps in a Ferrari. A change of team celebrated at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with the farewell celebrations to Mercedes granted by the International Federation on the final straight.
The main doubts concern the British driver’s form. While the points comparison with George Russell, tied until the Yas Marina race in Abu Dhabi, was ultimately won by #44, the situation is different when it comes to qualifying performance. Although the British driver is one of the greatest experts in the flying lap, in the last year he has rarely managed to beat his competitive teammate.
Lewis Hamilton against Charles Leclerc: Rosberg sparks the Ferrari challenge
At Maranello, Lewis Hamilton will find another great contender on Saturdays: Charles Leclerc is one of the most formidable drivers in recent years for the single-lap pace. According to Nico Rosberg, the former teammate of the British driver, the challenge with the Monegasque will mainly be about qualifying. What would happen if Hamilton does not regain his brilliance in the flying lap?
“[Hamilton] will surely be worried, asking himself what would happen if this negative period continues – explains the 2016 world champion on Sky F1’s podcast – Was it only the car, the Mercedes? Or was there something else that slowed him down? If that’s the case, it would really be a painful adventure [at Ferrari], because that’s not why he was hired.” – the former Formula 1 driver pointed out.
“Ferrari chose him to be at Charles Leclerc‘s level and fight for the world championship. I believe he will be very concerned about this. We can only hope that, with a reset at Ferrari, he becomes the brilliant driver we know again. We’ve seen time and time again that his race pace is incredibly strong. The problem is that, as he himself says, he’s not fast enough in qualifying.”
