This comes after Hamilton’s poorest Saturday season to date. George Russell thrashed him 19-5, with the seven-time world champion frequently falling away Q3 when he had to push hardest.
Leclerc, by contrast, beat Carlos Sainz 14-9 in the 23 sessions both drivers contested. He also scored three pole positions to elevate his career tally to 26.
| RANK | DRIVER | YEARS | POLES |
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | 2007-present | 104 |
| 2 | Michael Schumacher | 1991-2006, 2010-2012 | 68 |
| 3 | Ayrton Senna | 1984-1994 | 65 |
| 4 | Sebastian Vettel | 2007-2022 | 57 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | 2015-present | 40 |
| =6 | Jim Clark | 1960-1968 | 33 |
| =6 | Alain Prost | 1980-1991, 1993 | 33 |
| 8 | Nigel Mansell | 1980-1992, 1994-1995 | 32 |
| 9 | Nico Rosberg | 2006-2016 | 30 |
| 10 | Juan Manuel Fangio | 1950-1951, 1953-1958 | 29 |
| =11 | Mika Hakkinen | 1991-2001 | 26 |
| =11 | Charles Leclerc | 2018-present | 26 |
The Monegasque now stands just outside the top 10 all-time for that metric, joint-11th with Mika Hakkinen. Just four more next season would see him overtake Juan Manuel Fangio and match Nico Rosberg.
Since joining Ferrari in 2019, Leclerc has outqualified his teammates by an aggregate score of 82-45. He’s yet to be beaten on a Saturday over a full season.
Considering he’s faced a four-time world champion in Sebastian Vettel and a multiple race-winner in Sainz, that’s an imperious record.
And it’s worrying for Hamilton, who may be entering his decline against a peak-age teammate.
Ferrari announced the signing of Hamilton even before the 2024 season had begun. Had he been on the market 12 months later, it’s unclear whether they would have made the same move.
But according to F1 journalist Ralf Bach, who was speaking on the F1-Insider YouTube channel, Hamilton has spoken to Fred Vasseur to explain why he was off the pace over a single lap. If he knows what the issue is, he may be able to rectify it.
That could be enough to reassure Vasseur, who previously worked with Hamilton in the junior categories. Indeed, that pre-existing relationship may have been in luring the Englishman to Maranello.
“Fred was also his team boss in Formula 3, GP2,” Bach said. “They have known each other for a long time. I don’t think he has any doubts about him yet.
Hamilton explained to him exactly where the problems were in qualifying in Mercedes.”
Around 20 years ago, Hamilton told Vasseur he dreamed of Ferrari. However the blockbuster move pans out, it could define the Frenchman’s tenure as team principal.
Hamilton’s career could have panned out very differently. This is only the second time he’s changed teams since he joined the grid 18 years ago.
According to one former McLaren colleague, Vettel nearly partnered Hamilton at McLaren in 2008. The German may well have been a stronger teammate than Heikki Kovalainen, which could have handed the title to Felipe Massa.
Four years on, he chose to leave at the perfect moment. McLaren entered a decline from 2013, while Mercedes were on the precipice of dominance.
Now comes the fairytale move. Ayrton Senna would have finished his career at Ferrari were it not for his fatal accident, but symbolically, Hamilton will carry the spirit of his idol to Italy.
