Former F1 driver highlights critical factor in Hamilton-Leclerc fight

Former F1 driver Christian Klien has weighed in on the upcoming fight between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at Ferrari.

Hamilton has joined the Italian squad following a successful 12-year stint at Mercedes as he kickstarts a new chapter of his career.

The seven-time champion endured a difficult final campaign at Mercedes as he was often out-paced by former team-mate George Russell.

Leclerc is widely regarded as one of the fastest qualifiers on the grid, meaning Hamilton will likely have his work cut out for him if he wishes to best his new partner.

“I would never underestimate Charles,” Klien told the Business of Winning podcast.

“He’s very, very talented, very fast, especially on one lap in qualifying. He's able to put the car up the front of the grid.”

However, Hamilton sits as the most successful qualifier in F1 history with 104 pole positions to his name.

Klien suggested if Hamilton is able to recover his strong qualifying results, the head-to-head battle across the season could swing in his favour.

“If Lewis still has this edge in qualifying, we have to find out,” he said. 

“It made it a little bit more tricky for him this year in the races, just starting a little bit further back.

“But if the car suits him, if the car is competitive again, I think he has this extra bit of just greatness in him that made him this multiple world champion.

“He is really good over a season. He knows how to win a championship. He knows how to bring the team behind him to collect the points over the season.

“So this is really fascinating, seeing how this turns out this year.”