Leclerc Will Be Faster On Outright Qualifying Lap Than Hamilton Hints Brundle

Friday, 02 February 2024 at 17:57

Sky Sports co-commentator and former F1 driver Martin Brundle hinted he believes Charles Leclerc will be better in qualifying sessions than Lewis Hamilton.

It is now clear that Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton will be teammates from season 2025 onward after what many call the "move of the century."

The two will form arguably the strongest driver pairing on the grid. But the question is, which one of the two drivers would win if they had a dominant car? Martin Brundle told Sky Sports:

"Never write off Lewis Hamilton. He knows how to win races and championships, and it'll be very Schumacher-esque if he can go there and really drive the team to start winning a lot more races and be championship contenders."

Read also

Wolff Reportedly Most Probably Didn't Know About Hamilton's Contract With Ferrari

On the other hand, the former F1 driver already suggested that Leclerc might be the fastest driver on the grid when it comes to outright qualifying lap.

The Monegasque driver has been able to squeeze out more than his SF-23 was able to offer him in some qualifying sessions as he continued proving he is the qualification expert.

"Leclerc, I think, is potentially, on an outright qualifying lap the fastest driver out there at the moment - even including Max Verstappen."

On the other hand, the fact that the 26-year-old tries to push more out of his car than there is, sometimes results in a mistake that a World Championship contender shouldn't make. Brundle added:

"He's blindingly fast, but tends to run into a few things he shouldn't ought to because he drives so near the limit - but it's a wonderful combination."

While Leclerc might have the edge over the seven-time World Champion in qualifying sessions, race pace might be a completely different story as that is Hamilton's expertise.

The 39-year-old dominates in managing tires and strategy. How do you think the two drivers will compare? There is still one season in between, but we can't wait for 2025!