Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc has admitted that he is eager to learn from his future Maranello teammate Lewis Hamilton, whom he considers to be without “weaknesses” in Formula 1.
The Italian side stunned the F1 world by announcing ahead of the 2024 championship that Lewis Hamilton would replace Carlos Sainz to join Charles Leclerc, who secured a multi-year contract with the Maranello team last winter. This move will bring together Formula 1’s most successful driver with its most iconic team, as the seven-time F1 world champion seeks to end Ferrari’s title drought, which has persisted since 2008.
The Monegasque driver, who rose through the ranks at Ferrari, has been clear that his primary goal is to return the Italian team to the top of the sport. While some see Lewis Hamilton’s arrival as a potential challenge to Charles Leclerc’s personal ambitions, the current Ferrari man insists that the seven-time champion, with 105 race wins to his name, will only strengthen Ferrari’s chances.
Speaking in a recent interview for BBC Sport, Charles Leclerc addressed the notion that Lewis Hamilton’s presence might overshadow his own aspirations: “Not at all. Because Ferrari is Ferrari. And they need the best drivers in their cars. So, for the benefit of Ferrari, it is completely understandable. For me, I don’t see any negative in that, because it’s Lewis Hamilton.” – he explained.
Charles Leclerc has consistently outperformed each of his teammates in Formula 1, including four-time champion Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz at Ferrari. The Monegasque driver, who has openly discussed the valuable lessons he gained from his time alongside the German driver, has now expressed his excitement about the opportunity to closely observe and learn from Lewis Hamilton’s approach.
“I need to be convinced that I am the fastest driver when I put the helmet on, but I am really looking forward to it, and it will be super interesting for me. I have always said you learn from every single team-mate you have over your career. When I look at the way he drives – because we always look at each other and data – you don’t really see any weaknesses. And that’s where Lewis is incredible. He’s only got strengths. So I’m really looking forward to seeing how he works with his engineers, the feedback, and all of these kinds of things, to learn and become better.” – the Monegasque driver added.
Lewis Hamilton decision to join the Italian was initially hailed as a brilliant strategy at the start of the championship, with Ferrari emerging as Red Bull’s main rival while Mercedes faltered.
However, the situation has shifted recently, with the Maranello team grappling with persistent bouncing problems, while the seven-time Formula 1 world champion has secured two victories in the last three rounds.
Despite these setbacks, Charles Leclerc remains hopeful that the Maranello team can regain its early-season form once it resolves the problems with its latest aerodynamic updates and the SF-24 car will be able to once again challenge its rivals for race victories in the second part of the 2024 Formula 1 campaign: “In the last few races, we are not exactly where we want to be in terms of performance and that is my main priority – to come back to a performance where we are in the fight for poles and wins. I would expect us to be in the fight with McLaren and Red Bull as soon as we maximise the potential of our upgrades on the car.” – the Ferrari driver concluded.
