Anthony Davidson believes that while Ferrari have the strongest driver pairing on paper, Lewis Hamilton’s recent form has made that title less certain. The numbers back up that claim, with a combined 113 Grand Prix wins between them – thanks largely to Hamilton’s seven world titles.
Anthony Davidson believes that while Ferrari have the strongest driver pairing on paper, Lewis Hamilton’s recent form has made that title less certain.
The numbers back up that claim, with a combined 113 Grand Prix wins between them – thanks largely to Hamilton’s seven world titles. Red Bull is next with 71 wins, all belonging to Verstappen.
“I think when you look at it on paper yes [it is the best],” he said during his post-season review for Sky Sports. “But in reality as well, of course it doesn’t matter what you’ve achieved in your past if you’re being measured against one person over the course of a year.
“What matters is how many times did you beat them? And Lewis lost that fight this season.”
Lewis Hamilton’s recent struggles impact Ferrari’s case as top F1 driver line-up
Davidson, in a piece for Sky Sports, highlighted six of the top driver pairings for 2026 and noted that Hamilton’s challenging stretch has affected Ferrari’s ranking. Russell clearly had the upper hand over Hamilton in 2024, which was Hamilton’s last season with Mercedes.
Even so, Davidson mentioned during testing that Hamilton appeared more at ease in the Ferrari this time around and he believes the new regulations could suit him better.
He is also up against arguably the fastest one-lap driver on the grid. Leclerc has consistently delivered pole positions every year since 2020, even during periods when Ferrari were struggling for form.
“On paper, you would say it’s the strongest line-up, but Lewis has found things tough the last couple of years,” Davidson said. “Let’s see if he can bounce back with this new iteration of cars.
“I believe they’re going to suit his style more. I think he’ll be able to get more out of the equipment than he has done in the last couple of years with ground-effect cars.”
“Leclerc is a phenomenal driver – super-fast, probably one of if not the fastest drivers on the grid,” Davidson continued. “Especially in qualifying; he doesn’t mind a car that moves around under him.”
“He’s very flamboyant in the way he drives and I really enjoy watching that,” said Davidson.
There’s only one correct answer to this F1 driver line-up debate
McLaren are the clear winners in this debate, and not just because they have won back-to-back constructors’ titles. Of all the top teams, they’re the only outfit without any question marks.
And when you look at Ferrari and Mercedes, it becomes clearer still. Even if you think Hamilton’s days as an elite driver are behind him, there is no doubt that McLaren deserve to be first.
He could easily re-establish himself as an elite force in 2026, but until he does so there will be doubts. As for Isack Hadjar and Kimi Antonelli, both have incredible ceilings, though neither was particularly consistent in their rookie seasons.
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Category: General Sports
