Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari: On paper, an unbeatable combination. The most successful driver in Formula 1 history meets the most successful team in the racing series – it doesn’t get any better. And yet Hamilton’s first Ferrari season in 2025 raises numerous questions.
The seven-time world champion’s record so far is sobering: no victory, no pole position and no podium finish. The only sporting highlight so far is the victory in the sprint race on the China weekend. This is clearly not enough for the high standards of Lewis Hamilton.
We analyzed the data in more detail and compared Hamilton’s Ferrari season with the performances of Charles Leclerc’s former teammates – specifically Carlos Sainz and Sebastian Vettel. Was the signing of Lewis Hamilton a mistake from a sporting perspective?
Formula 1: Hamilton clearly behind Leclerc
First, a look at the bare numbers for the 2025 season. A clear trend emerged in the team-internal duel: Charles Leclerc clearly won the qualifying duel with 19:5, and Monegasque prevailed in the race duel with 18:3.
Video: RTL expert explains Hamilton fiasco
In the sprint qualifying, Leclerc was slightly ahead at 4:2, while the comparison in the sprint races was even at 3:3. But for a complete picture, it’s worth taking a deeper look at the pace data of both Ferrari drivers.
In qualifying, Leclerc was on average 0.235 seconds faster than Hamilton, based on the best laps. The gap in race pace is similarly significant: Hamilton lost an average of 0.249 seconds per lap to his teammate.
Data shows: Carlos Sainz closer to Leclerc than Hamilton
The crucial comparison follows with Hamilton’s predecessor. If you look at Carlos Sainz’s qualifying and race pace data, you can see a significantly closer performance level in the duel with Charles Leclerc.
In the 2024 preseason, Sainz’s average gap in qualifying was just 0.027 seconds, while the race pace was 0.046 seconds per lap. Extrapolated, Sainz was around two tenths of a second faster than Hamilton in the 2025 season.
How big is the adjustment effect in Formula 1?
However, one important aspect should not be ignored: Lewis Hamilton played his first season for Ferrari in 2025, while Carlos Sainz was in his fourth year for the Scuderia in 2024. The factor of getting used to it plays a role that should not be underestimated in Formula 1.
A look at Sainz’s first Ferrari season in 2021 underlines this. Although the Spaniard narrowly won the World Cup duel against Leclerc with 164.5 to 159 points, he was behind in terms of pace. In qualifying his average deficit was 0.184 seconds and in the race it was 0.193 seconds per lap.
Over the following years, Sainz was able to improve his pace by around one and a half tenths, which illustrates the influence of the team routine. A development step that could still be pending for Lewis Hamilton. Nevertheless, it should be noted that even Sainz’s debut season at Ferrari was significantly stronger than Hamilton’s 2025 season.
Hamilton deal questionable from a sporting perspective
From a purely sporting perspective, according to the data, it would have made more sense for Ferrari to continue with Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard acted almost on an equal footing with Charles Leclerc and was also fully integrated into the team. Hamilton’s current performance figures, on the other hand, are more comparable to those of Sebastian Vettel during his later Ferrari days.
However, it would be too short-sighted to evaluate Lewis Hamilton’s commitment solely based on sporting criteria. The influence of the most successful Formula 1 driver in history on Ferrari’s brand image and global appeal is enormous. However, this is also offset by the fact that financially the Brit will probably cost many times more than its predecessor.