Hamilton has struggled to adapt to the much heavier cars that don’t suit his late braking style, which has been a challenge.

The British driver leaves Mercedes join Ferrari for 2025 and partner Charles Leclerc in a formidable squad within the Italian team.

It could be a culture shock for Hamilton who will drive for a team based outside England for the first time in his career.

Eddie Jordan told talkSPORT that he expects a fair fight next season at Ferrari, and that there will be no matches played between the teammates.

Eddie Jordan expects Lewis Hamilton to get ‘fair shot’ at Charles Leclerc

Leclerc built the team around him after coming through the academy and pushing Sebastian Vettel out of Ferrari during their time together in 2019 and 2020.

Since becoming the main driver, the Monegasque has held a slight advantage over Carlos Sainz within the team as they strive to match Red Bull and McLaren over a season.

The Ferrari driver has eliminated many of the mistakes that ended his quest for the 2022 title, especially in qualifying where he is extremely fast.

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He is superb on a single lap but has gone overboard at times, and Leclerc made costly mistakes in Monaco and Azerbaijan, which need to be corrected.

Jordan believes he could have the upper hand over Hamilton in qualifying next season, but the former F1 team principal expects a fair battle.

He said: “When he goes to Ferrari, well, first of all, he has to beat Leclerc. Charles Leclerc is not a stooge. Let me tell you, in a qualifying position, I will be surprised.

“I will be surprised if Lewis can match him in qualifying. But who knows? Lewis is a very dark horse. You never know what you’re going to get.

“But I would say Ferrari, to be honest, spent an incredible amount of money to get Lewis there. I would say he will have a very fair chance. I don’t think there will be anything unfortunate, and we’ll just see what happens.

Lewis Hamilton could make a very good career change

Ferrari has improved significantly over the course of the season and is now challenging McLaren for the Constructors’ Championship.

The Italian team has been competitive at various tracks such as Monaco and at the Italian Grand Prix with varying levels of downforce.

Hamilton and Mercedes have been very inconsistent with just one podium after a purple patch before the summer break that yielded three wins.

The 2025 season could see Ferrari ahead of Mercedes, although regulatory changes for the following year are an unknown.

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