ANALYSED: Where Lewis Hamilton is Losing Out to Charles Leclerc - And Why The Struggles Mirror Those of His Final F1 Season at Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari from the 2025 Formula 1 season was described as a dream move by the seven-time world champion. However, it is fair to say that it hasn't quite worked out for him so far. 

Hamilton joining Ferrari was motivated by a desire to win an unprecedented eighth world championship. But at this point in time, he is unable to beat even his teammate. 

Charles Leclerc currently sits in fifth in the driver's standings - but Hamilton is in seventh, behind Andrea ‘Kimi’ Antonelli, the 18-year-old rookie who replaced him at Mercedes. Ouch. 

But where exactly is the disparity coming from? A closer analysis of the car data of both Hamilton and Leclerc has revealed what exactly the veteran driver is doing wrong. 

Hamilton's Braking Techniques Causing Issues?

Alex Brundle, the son of ex-F1 driver and current commentator Martin, offered his take on the matter having taken a look at the data in hand. 

"I look at the data from Lewis every weekend. The trait is the same. He goes into high-speed corners and hits a little bit more brake pressure than Charles Leclerc," Brundle said on the F1 Nation podcast.

What's more, Brundle revealed that he had the exact same issue at Mercedes against George Russell - while adding that Leclerc is dealing with the Ferrari much better. 

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“It just upsets the Ferrari everywhere. Leclerc is just Mr. Measured on the brakes. We know that Lewis had a problem with the same thing, I saw the data, at Mercedes.”

There is a belief among F1 insiders that Hamilton's driving style isn't best suited to this generation of cars. Hamilton was renowned for his late braking that helped him carry more speed into the corners, and he was able to live with the instability caused by hitting the brakes as late as possible. 

However, the current generation of cars respond better to a more measured braking style - and that is something Hamilton appears to be struggling with. 

Hamilton's Struggles Exarcebated in Qualifying

It becomes worse when analysing how Hamilton does on Saturday qualifying, where he is currently comfortably second-best to Leclerc. 

The Monagesque driver holds a 5-1 advantage in terms of qualifying this season, although in sprints Hamilton has fared better and has a 0-2 advantage on Leclerc. 

But the dominance is similar to how Hamilton fared vs Russell in 2024 - the young Brit had the beating of Hamilton 19-5 in qualifying, and 1-5 in sprint races. 

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Hamilton is the record-holder for the most number of pole positions with 104, so is hardly a slouch over a single-lap - but his lack of pace on Saturday's is worrying. 

It is also making things tougher on Sunday's given overtaking has been difficult so far in the 2025 season and that seems unlikely to change. 

Heading into the Emilia-Romagna GP 2025 weekend, all eyes will be on whether Hamilton can somehow come closer to changing his driving style or continue to struggle vs Leclerc.