Hamilton scored more points than Russell at Mercedes – over the course of the three years – but finished behind him in the championship last year. He also lost the qualifying head-to-head by an alarming 19-5 margin.

Martin Brundle has called Leclerc the fastest driver in F1, which is worrying for a driver who has publicly expressed doubts over his one-lap pace. It will soon become clear whether 2024 was a blip or a marker of decline.

Leclerc is still chasing his first world championship, six years after he made his Ferrari debut. Hamilton, meanwhile, is gunning for a record-breaking eighth.

Christian Danner says Hamilton won’t be the next Michael Schumacher, who won five titles successive titles at Maranello between 2000 and 2004. Schumacher benefitted from a largely dominant car, but this season is expected to be extremely close.

Charles Leclerc’s former engineer sends six-word warning to Lewis Hamilton ahead of Ferrari battle

Ferrari already have access to extensive data from Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. They have mirrored their private testing programmes this winter.

There were two TPC runs in the 2023 Ferrari – the first at Fiorano and the second in Barcelona. Hamilton crashed at the Spanish Grand Prix venue, affecting his teammate’s programme.

The Scuderia also carried out a Pirelli tyre test in Montmelo, along with McLaren. Ferrari used an ‘unprecedented’ set-up for the event, simulating 2026-level downforce in a 2024 ‘mule’ car.

And most recently, Hamilton and Leclerc debuted the SF-25 on their home turf. Ferrari have urged fans to be patient with regard to team and driver performance, and only they will know how significant the lap times are.

They couldn’t stop thousands of fans attending Hamilton’s first tests, but they could guard the telemetry. In Bahrain, however, they won’t have that luxury.

The two drivers will split the three days of running in Sakhir. Their comparative lap times, both over a single lap and a long run, will be relentlessly scrutinised.

Xavi Marcos previews Charles Leclerc vs Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari

Hamilton will work with a brand-new engineer this season in Riccardo Adami. His 12-year partnership with Peter Bonnington comes to an end.

Speaking at the launch last week, Hamilton emphasised the novelty of Ferrari’s communication style. Leclerc is used to it, though there was a key change to his engineering team last season.

Ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Bryan Bozzi replaced Xavi Marcos as his right-hand man. Speaking to Pit Debrief, Marcos offered his verdict on Leclerc ahead of the new season.

He’s confident Hamilton will be able to adapt to his new team. But in Leclerc, he faces a teammate who’s at a ‘really high level’.

“It’s not easy to beat Charles,” he said. “It will take a while for [Hamilton] to adapt to the Ferrari style, as everyone.

“For sure, Lewis is great, so I don’t think he will have any issues. Charles is at a really high level, and I am really curious to see how it will be for the first race.”