While believing it would be close between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in a potential title battle, Martin Brundle explained Hamilton is a known quantity in that regard where Leclerc is not – yet.

Leclerc became the first driver to win the GP3 and Formula 2 titles back-to-back in 2016 and ’17 respectively, but is yet to sustain a prolonged title challenge in Formula 1.

Charles Leclerc ‘unbelievably fast’ but Lewis Hamilton has title-winning experience

Leclerc moved his career tally of race victories to eight after emotional wins in Monaco and Monza, before adding another in Austin in late 2024, and will face off against the most statistically successful driver in Formula 1 history next season when Hamilton arrives at Ferrari.

Ferrari came close to winning their first Constructors’ title since 2008 last time around, with McLaren ultimately winning that battle, but it was Max Verstappen who won Drivers’ honours for the fourth season in a row.

Should the Scuderia be in contention all season, former F1 driver Brundle believes the pairing of Leclerc and Hamilton would be evenly-matched, but Leclerc not having won one yet provides something of a question mark, given the “pressure” involved.

When asked who he would back between the Ferrari duo in a title fight in 2025, Brundle replied on Sky Sports F1: “I think they’ve both got a chance if they’ve got a championship-winning car, to be honest.

“I think Charles will be unbelievably fast, but Lewis has that experience. He knows what it’s like to win a World Championship, in fact, seven of them.

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“And we you don’t know – same with Lando [Norris], same with Charles, same with others – you don’t know until that pressure’s on whether they can really bring their A-game all day, every day, where the true champions and multiple champions can.

“So I don’t know the answer to that question, but I don’t think there’ll be a whole lot in it when push comes to shove.”

Leclerc’s first chance at a title challenge came in the first season of the ground effect regulations, back in 2022, but Verstappen and Red Bull gradually eased away from Ferrari as the year progressed.

Looking back, he believes he has learned from that experience, coupled with the 2024 challenge for the Constructors’, and both he and the team would be better prepared for another tilt in future.

He told media including PlanetF1.com in Abu Dhabi: “I think we’ve had two seasons where we were basically fighting for the championship. Obviously, one was not for long enough, which was in 2022 and I think with that, we’ve grown a lot.

“I’ve grown a lot as a driver, I think we’ve grown a lot also as a team, because when it’s been such a long time, obviously the people in the team, most of them have changed, and so for many people, it was also the first time fighting again with Ferrari at the top. So I think it’s an important process.”

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