Charles Leclerc labeled as “good news” Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari in 2025, both for own career and for the Scuderia’s future.
Ferrari's decision to sign Hamilton, who will replace Carlos Sainz, was a veritable strategic coup by team principal Frederic Vasseur made possible by an exit clause in the seven-time world champion’s contract with Mercedes contract.
Despite the challenge of sharing a garage with Formula 1’s most successful driver, Leclerc is excited about what the partnership could bring.
"When you have a seven-time world champion joining the team, it's always good news,” he told Motorsport.com.
"First, because it's super interesting and super motivating for me. Super interesting because I can learn from one of the best-ever Formula 1 drivers.
"And second, super motivating because I'm super motivated to show what I'm capable of doing against Lewis in the same car. So, for these two reasons, I'm really looking forward to it."
Leclerc wasn't surprised by the news of Hamilton's move, which was confirmed just before the start of the 2024 F1 season. He had already extended his contract with Ferrari before the announcement but was fully aware of the possibility.
"I knew that it was a possibility and that it was likely because both sides wanted to make it happen," he explained. "But I was happy with that, so I definitely knew that it was more likely than not.
"That was enough for me. I didn't ask many more details, also, because I'm not entitled to know all of this, and I don't want to know all of this, but everybody has always been super honest with me.”
For Leclerc, Hamilton's arrival is not just a testament to Ferrari's ambition but also a reassurance of the team's direction.
"If anything, it reassured me even more,” he added. “Because when you take a driver like Lewis Hamilton within the team, it obviously is a strong sign.
“I think that could be a positive thing seen from our side, and could bring some extremely talented people to the team. So I saw that as a positive, if anything."
Some might suggest that Leclerc has more to gain than lose in this situation. While a loss to Hamilton would be understandable, a clear victory would be a historic achievement.
However, Leclerc isn't focused on such external perceptions.
"As a driver, I will live as bad whether I'm two tenths behind Lewis or two tenths behind whoever else," he argued.
"For me, it's a pain I am suffering every time I'm behind my team-mate. You just want to be first, whatever situation you are in.
"When I was with Seb, for example, I was hating it so much when he was beating me, even though it was my first year with Ferrari and I knew he had a lot of experience.
“No matter the situation you find yourself in, you hate it when you are getting beaten."
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