Charles Leclerc says it is “at all times excellent news” teaming up with a driver of Lewis Hamilton’s calibre, as would be the case at Ferrari from the 2025 System 1 season.
Ferrari signed Hamilton earlier than the 2024 marketing campaign even began, with staff principal Frederic Vasseur taking advantage of an exit clause within the long-time Mercedes driver’s contract to entice him to Maranello.
Hamilton will substitute Carlos Sainz and turn out to be Leclerc’s fourth team-mate in F1, with the earlier ones being Marcus Ericsson (at Sauber) and Sebastian Vettel.
The Monegasque is happy about this new problem, which he sees as a chance to be taught from F1’s most profitable driver in historical past, as he advised Motorsport.com in an unique interview.
After praising present team-mate Sainz, whom he branded “such an unimaginable driver”, Leclerc stated: “When you’ve a seven-time world champion becoming a member of the staff, it is at all times excellent news.
“First, as a result of it is tremendous attention-grabbing and tremendous motivating for me. Tremendous attention-grabbing as a result of I can be taught from one of many best-ever System 1 drivers.
Sir Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15, battles with Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24
Photograph by: Alexander Trienitz
“And second, tremendous motivating as a result of I am tremendous motivated to indicate what I am able to doing towards Lewis in the identical automotive. So, for these two causes, I am actually trying ahead to it.”
Leclerc had signed a contract extension one week earlier than Hamilton formally made his bombshell transfer to Ferrari – however the information was no shock to him, so he knowingly dedicated his future to the Scuderia.
“I knew that it was a risk and that it was probably as a result of each side needed to make it occur,” he clarified. “However I used to be proud of that, so I undoubtedly knew that it was extra probably than not.
“That was sufficient for me. I did not ask many extra particulars, additionally, as a result of I am not entitled to know all of this, and I do not wish to know all of this, however all people has at all times been tremendous trustworthy with me.
“If something, it reassured me much more, as a result of whenever you take a driver like Lewis Hamilton throughout the staff, it clearly is a robust signal. I feel that could possibly be a optimistic factor seen from our aspect, and will deliver some extraordinarily proficient folks to the staff. So I noticed that as a optimistic, if something.”
There’s an argument that Leclerc has every part to achieve from this example so far as his repute is worried. Being overwhelmed by a seven-time world champion could possibly be comprehensible, whereas changing into the primary driver to obviously outperform Hamilton would clearly be historic.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15, Sergio Perez, Pink Bull Racing RB20
Photograph by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photos
Nevertheless, Leclerc doesn’t fairly agree with this explicit outlook on the scenario.
“As a driver, I’ll stay as unhealthy whether or not I am two tenths behind Lewis or two tenths behind whoever else,” he defined. “For me, it is a ache I’m struggling each time I am behind my team-mate. You simply wish to be first, no matter scenario you’re in.
“After I was with Seb, for instance, I used to be hating it a lot when he was beating me, though it was my first 12 months with Ferrari and I knew he had a variety of expertise. Irrespective of the scenario you end up in, you hate it when you find yourself getting overwhelmed.”
Extra reporting by Roberto Chinchero
