3 key areas where Lewis Hamilton would have an edge over Charles Leclerc at Ferrari

The Charles Leclerc-Lewis Hamilton partnership kicks off things at Ferrari in 2025, and without a doubt, it is going to catch the attention of a lot of people. Two drivers, who have been breathtakingly fast throughout their careers, would be racing for the most iconic team in F1 history.

While both drivers want Ferrari to win, they would also want a win for themselves, as a few have raised questions over the fact that Hamilton is now 40 years of age and not a spring chicken anymore. While there's certainly truth to that to a certain extent, even before the Brit has completed a single race with the team, there are areas where the driver would have an edge over Charles Leclerc. Let's take a look.

#1. Lewis Hamilton's wet weather prowess

In general, Charles Leclerc has more or less every base covered in the sport. He's brilliant in races, his qualifying pace is undeniable, and his racecraft has never been in question. There's, however, one area where Leclerc has probably not shown the kind of astute skill that he has in others, in the wet weather. There aren't many podiums for the Ferrari driver in those conditions, and he's not really shown the x-factor in those conditions.

Compare that with Hamilton, and there's a major difference. Just last season, Hamilton potentially won two races in rain-affected conditions, and it's not just the case of the driver winning in those conditions. His ability to almost always make the right call in terms of strategy, when the pressure is high and he has to make the right judgment, adds to it.

If we have a wet race tomorrow with all 20 drivers in the same car, one would expect Hamilton to do well. We cannot make the same assertion with Leclerc.

#2. The experience of making the team work for him

Lewis Hamilton comes to Ferrari after being in F1 since 2007. That's a long time for any career, and what that also does is that it imbibes different qualities into you, some of which are essentially picked up from your teammates along the way. Hamilton has raced with some brilliant drivers in the same car throughout his career.

There's Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, and Nico Rosberg, who were in the same car as him, and one quality that all of them had was the ability to bring the team together and make it work for them. This is something that Lewis has learned from being in the sport for all these years, and you can already see how Ferrari was welcoming of him in his first few days on the team.

This is one ability that comes with time, and even though Charles Leclerc has been embedded in the 'Ferrari culture' since 2019, the kind of magnetism and the kind of ability to bring the team together and work for the driver is what could potentially be Hamilton's biggest ally heading into the start of this partnership.

#3. Building a title campaign

The third key factor, probably the most crucial, is the experience of building a title campaign. Charles Leclerc has been a part of the sport since 2018, and he's still yet to even be involved in a title battle. The Monagasque driver continues to do well, but the last factor that's involved in a driver competing for the title is the car, Ferrari has not provided him one for a title campaign yet.

For Lewis Hamilton, however, the story is the exact opposite. He started racing in F1 in 2007, and even in his first season, he competed for the title. The driver has won seven world titles and lost a few as well along the way, and what that does is add to the experience. It gives you perspective on how you do not let one bad weekend affect you in the overall scheme of things.

This would be crucial in 2025 because there is a likelihood that Ferrari could have a title-contending car. If that happens, in a title battle, momentum is everything. Hamilton has prior experience of building a title-winning season, and that's something Leclerc would have to learn and get better at in this partnership.