Lewis Hamilton is one of the best drivers in Formula 1. Over the past 18 seasons in the sport, the British driver has scored a record number of 105 wins, along with 202 podiums and 104 pole positions. He has also achieved seven world drivers’ championship titles. During his career, he’s teamed up with Jenson Button, Valtteri Bottas, Nico Rosberg, and now Charles Leclerc. While he’s generally fared better than his teammate, there have been a few occasions where they have emerged triumphant.
5. Lewis Hamilton vs. Fernando Alonso (2007)
During Lewis Hamilton’s rookie season, he was paired alongside Fernando Alonso. The two were driving for the McLaren team, and the Briton was a solid driver alongside the two-time world champion. However, experience prevailed. During the Belgian Grand Prix 2007, Alonso outqualified the newcomer by 0.315 seconds. The two started P3 and P4, but a strong move in the opening lap allowed the Spaniard to stay ahead of Hamilton for the entirety of the event. When they crossed the line, Alonso was 9.272s ahead of his teammate.
The two drivers would complete the 2007 season with the same points, but the Spanish driver had beaten the future world champion in nine races, as compared to the rookie’s six against him.
4. Hamilton vs. Jenson Button (2011)
Now a world champion himself, Lewis Hamilton was once again teamed up with a title winner, this time in the form of Jenson Button. The two began their partnership in 2010, and the first season saw Hamilton come out on top. He beats Button in a head-to-head comparison of wins, race results, qualifying, and fastest laps. But in 2011, the tide shifted. One particular instance was the Japanese Grand Prix that year. Button outqualified his teammate, and while he lost the position at the start, he was able to get it back. After he and Hamilton qualified P2 and P3, the 2009 WDC winner would go on to score a victory at Suzuka. Meanwhile, the British driver would finish in P5, due to his pace and a tangle with Felipe Massa.
The 2011 season would end with Button scoring a total of 270 points to Hamilton’s 227.
3. Lewis Hamilton vs. Nico Rosberg (2013)
In his first year with Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton took up the spot in the line-up beside Nico Rosberg. The two would go on to have an exciting partnership over the next four seasons, and the first season was a good indicator of it. At the Grand Prix in India, Rosberg outqualified his teammate and went on to finish P2, while Hamilton started in P3 and crossed the line in sixth. By the end of the season, the two drivers would perform better than the other eight times, but Rosberg scored two victories compared to Hamilton’s one. When it came down to it, the Briton would walk away having scored 189 points to Rosberg’s 171.
Following this, the two would be instrumental in the Mercedes outfit scoring three back-to-back constructors’ championships.
2. Hamilton vs. George Russell (2022)
Following his loss of the 2021 championship title, Lewis Hamilton got a new teammate, George Russell. In the Mercedes car, Russell started the season putting in consistent results as compared to his world champion teammate. Four races into the season, at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, is where the biggest difference between the two appeared. Qualifying saw the young driver put in a P11 result, while Hamilton secured P14 on the grid. After the checkered flag had waved, the former Williams driver had crossed the line in fourth place, while his fellow Briton only managed a P13 result.
The season also ended with George Russell taking fourth place in the drivers’ standings, and Lewis Hamilton finishing P6.
1. Lewis Hamilton vs Charles Leclerc (2025)
Although we’re only in the middle of the season, Charles Leclerc has been outperforming his new teammate. While Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari has netted a sprint victory and a sprint P3, it is Leclerc who has made it to the podium back-to-back at Sunday races. Namely, in Monaco and Spain, the Monegasque finished second and third, while the 40-year-old has scored P5 and P6 results at those events. This can be attributed to the driver getting used to driving Ferrari machinery, as compared to his teammate, who has been with the team for more than a few seasons now.
At this point, the two sit fifth and sixth in the standings, with a 23-point difference.
