Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc compared with one given ‘more complete’ verdict

While Charles Leclerc is not behind future Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton as a driver, he is not as “complete” as the seven-time World Champion.

That is the opinion of former Haas team boss Guenther Steiner, who believes this is a key area where Leclerc can learn from Hamilton , as the duo prepare to become Ferrari team-mates from F1 2025.

Lewis Hamilton ‘more complete’ than Charles Leclerc

Hamilton activated an exit clause in his Mercedes contract to seal a move to Ferrari before the F1 2024 campaign began, with just six rounds remaining of the season and his Mercedes career, Hamilton having won six of his seven Drivers’ titles with the Silver Arrows, as part of a record-breaking run of dominance as Mercedes won eight straight Constructors’ titles between 2014-21.

At Ferrari, Hamilton will go up against Leclerc, a graduate of their Driver Academy who has raced with the team since 2019, so Steiner was asked whether he believes Leclerc has another gear to tap into against Hamilton.

“I think he has got it,” Steiner replied while speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast.

“I think what Charles can learn from Lewis is Lewis rarely makes mistakes. He’s a very complete driver. He’s a very calculating, very complete driver. Has seen so much. He has done so much.

“But also outside of racing, how he conducts himself, still focusing on racing but doing a lot of other stuff as well, it’s quite intense, and sometimes you think how he does it all. But he’s just well prepared, I think. And over the years, he learned that. And if Charles is a clever guy, we will look at that and see, ‘Hey, I can have this success as well’.

“Because driving-wise, I think Charles can pull something out of the bag as well. Driving-wise, he’s not behind Lewis. But Lewis, as a race car driver, is more complete. The speed is there, but he’s more complete than Charles because he’s younger and he didn’t have the experience Lewis has got. He can learn from him.”

All the details you need on Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari

👉 Your questions answered: All you need to know about Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari move

👉 Lewis Hamilton arrival means it is sink or swim time for Charles Leclerc

But, on the subject of Leclerc as an overall package, podcast host Tom Clarkson pointed to Monza as a sign of Leclerc’s growth, the Ferrari driver having pulled off a one-stop masterclass to stun McLaren and win the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, sending the Tifosi into raptures.

“I think we’re seeing Charles do things in a racing car this year that we haven’t seen him do before,” said Clarkson. “Monza, brilliant race. Brilliant race to do that one-stop strategy.

“And I’m not sure Charles would have done that so effectively, two, three years ago.”

Leclerc sits P3 in the current F1 2024 Drivers’ Championship standings , 34 points behind McLaren’s Lando Norris and 86 off Red Bull’s Championship leader Max Verstappen.

Read next: New Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari development in Binotto signing admission