Six tenths, a true eternity. The gap that Lewis Hamilton had in comparison to his Maranello teammate Charles Leclerc in the qualifying session for the Bahrain Grand Prix leaves no room for replies or justifications. For the seven-time Formula 1 World Champion, the so-called “adaptation phase” is still clearly underway, and miracles can not be expected—especially in such a restrictive Formula 1 era, where the only relatively free testing available is on the simulator. However, it is also true that the only standout performance of the British driver, the Chinese Sprint race, remains a one-off so far, not so much in terms of results, but in on-track speed, with those 20 laps in Shanghai being the only ones where Lewis Hamilton genuinely looked fast, determined, and a tough competitor for everyone.
Seven days ago, at the 5.807-kilometre Suzuka Circuit, Charles Leclerc put three tenths on him in qualifying and then finished 13 seconds ahead in the race. In the full race in China, the Monegasque driver passed and left him behind, even with a broken front wing. The comparison between the two, in terms of pace and sharpness, is not easy for the Briton to digest in this start of the 2025 Formula 1 championship. And it was Lewis Hamilton himself, showing the personal character he’s known for, who did not hide or make excuses after qualifying in Sakhir. Lewis Hamilton admitted that the car was clearly capable of delivering much better performance than he was currently able to extract, adding that he was too slow and apologizing to both the team and the fans, words that were likely difficult to utter, as the former Mercedes driver also attempted to cut the interview short and leave the media zone.
If we compare the Q3 lap data of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in Bahrain, the verdict is clear and unmistakable: the Monegasque driver is faster in every single corner of the track, with the speed gap becoming significant in all medium and high-speed corners. Already at Turn 4 Lewis Hamilton gives up 6 kilometers per hour to his Ferrari teammate, then 7 in the “snake” section, and even 10 at Turn 11 and 12 at Turn 13, with a 7 kilometer per hour gap again in Charles Leclerc’s favor at the final corner of the Bahrain International Circuit. Looking at the data and the sessions, Lewis Hamilton tries and often manages to invent effective lines that help him in traction and corner exit, but the cornering speed gap is too large, and the stopwatch ticks relentlessly. But Sakhir isn’t an isolated case. Since the beginning of the year, car number 44 has shown particularly low numbers in all medium- and high-speed corners.
Even in the first free practice session this weekend, young Dino Beganovic managed to hold similar speeds to Lewis Hamilton in the fast sections, though losing heavily elsewhere. The question many are asking is how the Chinese Sprint performance was even possible, then. There are some interesting parameters to consider: the Shanghai track does not have particularly fast corners, and where confidence is needed, it is mostly absent—except for the last turn. And in fact, the final corner was exactly where the seven-time Formula 1 world champion struggled the most, including in Sprint qualifying, where he almost lost pole there, burning nearly all the advantage he had built. And Lewis Hamilton had built his advantage, for instance, in the first sector, with the initial complex of corners requiring high driving technique, where he literally drove circles around the rest of the grid, handling it better than all the other drivers. Charles Leclerc the next day replicated the Briton’s style in that section and benefited from it.
Furthermore, the conditions of the Sprint, both in the qualifying and the short-race, were such that allowed the Maranello men to run the SF25 lower, thereby generating more downforce and clearly a much better balance. What Lewis Hamilton lacks, therefore, is not driving technique or the ability to switch on and manage the tyres, it seems to be confidence in the car. The British driver can’t trust the car, can’t throw his heart into the corners, perhaps also holding back from risking races or sessions with crashes caused by pushing too hard. From what can be seen, as soon as it is time to lean into medium or high-speed corners, the approach becomes cautious, something that clearly doesn’t rhyme with performance in Formula 1, and the gap builds up quickly.
By putting together the many pieces of the puzzle that have appeared on the table in these first four race weekends, a common thread begins to emerge, helping to understand at least what is happening inside Ferrari, even though the solution to the “Hamilton case,” if it exists, is something only the British champion holds in his pocket. To understand the difference in Charles Leclerc’s approach, we can start from the end, namely from the Monegasque’s comments after this great performance in the latest qualifying session. Charles Leclerc explained that he was following his own path, one that led him to choose setups that were sometimes extreme but suited his driving style, and that he was progressively getting the car to work better with that approach. The Monegasque driver added that the more he continued down this route, the more he saw it was effective, which is why he was committed to it, remarks he made even before knowing he would start on the front row for the Grand Prix. It wasn’t the first time he had expressed such views; in Suzuka, he had said something similar, noting that the weekend had been more useful for understanding which setup direction to take than for the race result itself, having realized where he wanted to position the car.
Another signal, perhaps the most important, came from a Team Radio message, again from Charles Leclerc, during the qualifying session in Sakhir. After the first attempt on used tyres in Q3, as he returned to the pits, the Ferrari driver let slip an interesting remark when Bryan Bozzi asked how to adjust the front wing angle for the final and decisive run. Charles Leclerc said he needed to trust the car, acknowledging that the feeling was terrible but estimating that at least 20% of it was due to the used tyres. He repeated that trusting the car was essential. Listening to these words, the impression is that the Monegasque driver has understood that the actual limit of the SF25 lies at least a few steps beyond what the driver feels from the cockpit.
This could help explain the difference between the expected and actual performance of the Prancing Horse’s car. The SF25 seems to have a drivability limit, but with (significant) effort, it is possible to try and go beyond, to push even when confidence would suggest there is nothing left. That seems to be exactly what Charles Leclerc is doing at the moment, with an always-extreme setup choice that allows him to feel a bit more and push the car to its theoretical limit. If all of this is confirmed, the Monegasque would be delivering, at the start of this 2025 Formula 1 season, a small masterpiece of sensitivity, talent, and driving maturity, making the most of the huge learning process he has undergone during his years at Ferrari, where he faced situations and cars not always easy to manage.
The greatest issue inherent in what Charles Leclerc is doing right now clearly lies in finding the risk threshold. Going beyond the feeling the car gives you means altering your perception of the limit, with all the related risks of crossing it, which can always happen. On the other hand, for now, the facts are proving him right: when you put together, on one side, a driver struggling to trust the car, and on the other, one who is even managing to go beyond, you get significant gaps. We will see whether the progressive increase in downforce on the car will help push Lewis Hamilton to feel the limit again and thus show his best qualities. And it will be interesting to understand how the Ferrari technicians and engineers can help him on this path, with some urgency, considering the enormous investment the Prancing Horse has made in the British champion.
— see video above —
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