F1 Q&A before Spanish GP: Hamilton, Leclerc, Russell, Ferrari, Mercedes

Do you think Lewis Hamilton will struggle against Charles Leclerc next season? – James

The question of how Lewis Hamilton will do at Ferrari next year is one of the most intriguing in F1.

Right now, Hamilton is struggling in his final year at Mercedes, by his own high standards. He would admit that himself, if perhaps not use that exact word. As he put it after Montreal: “I have some work to do to improve. Once I start driving with my head, I should be able to get some better results.”

Of course, Hamilton is one of the greatest drivers of all time – statistically, the greatest of all. His motivation will be sky high and he will be completely dedicated and committed to winning the World Championship at Ferrari. After all, winning that eighth title that he believes should already be his after what he perceives to be the injustice of Abu Dhabi 2021 is his single biggest reason for staying in F1.

But the size of the task he faces should not be underestimated. For one thing, he is going to a new team in another country and another culture and it will inevitably take time for him to become fully conversant with that and get the best from himself and Ferrari.

For another, Leclerc is incredibly fast – many people in F1 think he might even be the fastest driver in the sport over one lap. So out-qualifying him will not be easy – and at the moment Hamilton is not out-qualifying George Russell either.

Hamilton is 8-1 down on the qualifying head-to-head at Mercedes this season and the average gap between them is bigger than it has been since Russell joined the team, at 0.101secs. The previous two seasons have gone Hamilton’s way one year and Russell’s the next, and the margin between them was considerably smaller than that both times.