Leclerc is secretly working on a plan: How to beat Lewis Hamilton

The ink on the new deal was barely dry when Charles Leclerc was told that Lewis Hamilton would become his new teammate. Assuming he would continue with Carlos Sainz as his teammate, after a new deal that must have come as a shock to Leclerc.

Of course, this was dismissed as that it was all already known internally, but anyone who listens to Toto Wolff's podcasts, or to Lewis Hamilton's words, knows that Hamilton and Ferrari's choice was only made in a short amount of time. That it remained a secret from the outside world for so long also says something about how few people inside Ferrari would have known.

Leclerc, who for years was known as the prince of Ferrari suddenly has to compete against a seven-time world champion in 2025. A driver who comes to Ferrari with only one goal and was also brought in by Ferrari with only one goal: to become world champion.

Will this be Charles Leclerc's F1 season?

In that respect, 2024 must have felt great for Leclerc. Ferrari narrowly missed out on the constructors' world title, but in the second half of the season Ferrari and Leclerc scored the most points of anyone. In doing so, Leclerc was more consistent than Lando Norris, who still finished above him over the season as a whole.

With the rules remaining the same for 2025, Leclerc can assume that Ferrari will also be competing for the title in 2025, which means he can compete for the world title himself from day one. A feeling he could briefly taste in 2022, before it quickly slipped out of his hands.

Leclerc will have learned from that. In 2024, Leclerc was extremely consistent and performed very well with his material. Lewis Hamilton on the other hand showed increasing signs of decline. Hamilton will start this season as a 40-year-old, and in 2024 versus George Russell, the years suddenly seemed to count.

Especially in qualifying, Hamilton was losing more and more ground. Getting the most out of the car over one lap always used to be his strong point, but in 2024 he had no answer to Russell. Leclerc is known for his qualifying, perhaps more so than Russell, which means Hamilton has a mountain to climb in 2025.

With the regulations already being the same since 2022, the field is getting closer together. So even the smallest differences in qualifying, could mean a lot of places on the grid. If Hamilton cannot get close to Leclerc, Leclerc could just run off with the honours at Ferrari.

Will Lewis Hamilton go down fighting with Charles Leclerc?

Leclerc still makes the occasional mistake, but has happened to Lewis Hamilton as well over the last few years. In terms of pace, however, Leclerc is of a very high level, which will make it very difficult for Hamilton to overtake his teammate every weekend. Especially in a new team, with a new car and a new engine. And above all, a car that has been fully developed based on Leclerc's feedback.

The focus on Hamilton is understandable. That such a big star is going to Ferrari is a story. That he has a chance at a historic eighth world title at Ferrari is also a story. The reality, however, is that in the shadows Leclerc will have prepared himself for this duel. Determined to show once and for all that he is the man who will lead Ferrari to the title, and not the well paid Hamilton.

And then a career can be over quickly. Daniel Ricciardo was also brought in as the big man at McLaren in 2022. He would take McLaren to great heights. In reality, McLaren turned out to have already had that leading driver for two years. Norris worked on his plan in the shadows, driving Ricciardo rock hard out of the team.
Of course, Hamilton has a much more impressive CV than Ricciardo, but everything hinges on performance on the track.

In that respect, Hamilton is well behind Leclerc and it remains to be seen if, and if so when, he can catch up. If not, Ferrari's management will surely be scratching their heads over whether he was worth the investment.