Lewis Hamilton and Marc Marquez: similar scenarios, but also significant differences
12/30/2024 12:28 PM
Both in 2024 were the real stars of the driver market in their respective disciplines, and both are just weeks away from the start of the long-awaited racing season. Lewis Hamilton announced his move to Scuderia Ferrari in February 2024, followed by Marc Marquez, who officially secured the official Ducati ride for the upcoming season in June. Two super champions, the most successful active riders in their championships, who have decided to join the “Red Italians” on two and four wheels, with the clear goal of chasing another world title that, for both, would have the flavor of a consecration that only Ferrari and Ducati can offer them.
Lewis Hamilton has nothing left to prove to anyone, but if he were to win an eighth Formula 1 title with the Maranello team, he would add the most precious stone to a crown that would, for many, crown him as the greatest of all time. By tying his story to the Ferrari legend, the Englishman would almost immortalize his star in Formula 1. Marc Marquez, too, has nothing left to prove to anyone. He has already shown in the 2024 MotoGP championship that he is still capable of winning races on the Ducati of the Gresini team, brushing aside the criticisms of those who thought he could no longer win after his serious crash at Jerez in 2020. The Spaniard is still hungry for world titles, despite already having six in the premier class. The seventh title, which the official Ducati team could easily give him, would tie him with a certain Valentino Rossi at the top (who won six in MotoGP and one in the 500cc class), and then who knows.
However, beyond statistics and record books, the two champions will face situations that are very similar in some ways but different in others. Let’s analyze them together.
Internal Political Support
Both Marc Marquez and Lewis Hamilton have been strongly wanted by the ownership of their future teams, and because of this, it is clear that, at least in their first season, they will enjoy a special status within the team. The British driver has come out of a two-year contract with Mercedes, and to make room for him, Ferrari rolled out the red carpet, even sacrificing a solid and fast driver like Carlos Sainz. Marc Marquez convinced Ducati to give him the official bike after a season that was certainly positive and full of victories, but not without mistakes. Nevertheless, as is well known, Ducati decided to leave out the then likely (at the time of the decision) and later confirmed world champion Jorge Martin. Two decisions that, in a sense, are humanly uncomfortable, especially Ducati's, but certainly supported by the ownership, which sees in the Lewis Hamilton-Ferrari and Marc Marquez-Ducati pairings enormous commercial potential, beyond the results that both will certainly bring. Both will surely make good use of this political support towards their teammates in the 2025 motorsport season.
Cautious Teammates
Lewis Hamilton and Marc Marquez arrive at their new teams, welcomed with all the honors and fanfare expected, with Ferrari and Ducati absolutely determined to put their jewels in the best possible position to perform. Alongside them, respectively, Charles Leclerc and Pecco Bagnaia cannot help but be somewhat concerned. We are obviously talking about different competitive situations because Pecco Bagnaia has already won two world titles, while the Monegasque driver has only collected runner-up spots in the driver standings so far. However, both have held the role of “lead driver” in their teams for several seasons and have been tied to their teams with multi-year contracts. As we all expect, it won’t be an easy coexistence for either of them.
Pecco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez already had a on-track contact in 2024, and the Spaniard is certainly not the type to make chivalrous gestures if he knows he has a winning bike. On the other hand, the Italian knows he lost the 2024 motorcycle championship due to his own mistakes, of course, but also because he was “too gentlemanly” towards Jorge Martin in certain racing situations. A mix of attitudes that is dangerous for the ambitions of the Italian champion. Between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, there have never been any major on-track tensions, which is quite obvious, especially considering Hamilton’s often exemplary fairness. However, the Monegasque has often been prone to getting down when he sees his teammate being faster. The radio controversies “against” the newly praised Carlos Sainz in some races this year are just the latest example. Lewis Hamilton will be a much harder target for Charles Leclerc, who will need to put aside his ghosts and focus only on himself.
Mental Strength and Consistency in Performance
The expectations for Lewis Hamilton and Marc Marquez for the upcoming season, however, are very different. While the Spaniard can legitimately aim to race for the world championship with the Ducati GP25 with great chances, this won’t necessarily be the case for the British driver, even though we all hope so, given that Ferrari is starting from second place in the 2024 Formula 1 standings and will enter the fight with McLaren and others from a position objectively better than 12 months ago. Winning the F1 driver or constructor title will not be easy, and to do so will require exceptional consistency, given the close gaps already shown this season by all the teams. Lewis Hamilton’s consistency was objectively lacking in the 2024 championship, not always due to Mercedes' faults, as shown by George Russell's performances. It's hard to say if it was due to lack of motivation, loss of speed, or because Mercedes understandably excluded him from certain developments or simply from the more delicate technical briefings. Lewis Hamilton still alternated extremely high peaks, like the victory at Silverstone and the performances at Spa, Las Vegas, and Abu Dhabi, with moments of deep crisis when the team struggled to convince him to stay on track and fight. In qualifying, the Brit often struggled with George Russell's speed, and a driver like Charles Leclerc, who has qualifying pace as one of his sharpest tools, risks being a very anxious starting point for the latest Lewis Hamilton, who will need an injection of “character and consistency” to withstand all the pressure that will fall on him as soon as he steps into the Ferrari cockpit.
Very different is the character situation for Marc Marquez, who has often won the confrontation with all his potential rivals, both on track, considering what his GP23 allowed, and off-track, recalling his rise to the official Ducati team in 2025. The Spanish rider showed this season that the dark years at Honda and the physical problems after the Jerez crash have not affected his speed or determination in the slightest. Deep down, he knows he can win the 2025 world title, but he will need to be careful not to fall into those crashes he justified this year with the “I had nothing to lose” approach. Marc Marquez's worst enemy might be his mind, in the burning obsession to win always, even when he should allow some “strategic thinking” to avoid heavy zero points in the standings. The MotoGP title will also be won with consistency. Just ask Pecco Bagnaia for recent experience.
Different Experience with the Team and Equipment
From the point of view of getting familiar with the team and the machine, Lewis Hamilton and Marc Marquez are starting from very different positions. The Spaniard has already tested the GP25 at the end-of-season tests, and even though he raced for a “customer team,” he has still gotten used to Ducati as an organization as well as a bike. Therefore, he is definitely better acclimatized than Lewis Hamilton, who was unable to drive the Ferrari in the post-Abu Dhabi tests due to contractual reasons with Mercedes. Apart from a few laps he will likely do in February with the old F1-75, he will only have a day and a half of pre-season testing to get familiar with the new car and his new team. Of course, we are talking about a seven-time Formula 1 world champion with vast experience in the most important motorsport series, where simulator work is certainly very valuable for accumulating experience and knowledge. But Formula 1 has recently shown that with simulators and CFD, you can never fully understand everything, and to shave off that tenth in qualifying, a total symbiosis with the car is required, which only comes from the miles driven on track.
— see video above —
The post Lewis Hamilton and Marc Marquez: similar scenarios, but also significant differences appeared first on Scuderia Fans.
