Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has praised the way in which Charles Leclerc has stepped up to become a “leader” at Scuderia Ferrari in the last two years.
Charles Leclerc was the driver chosen bu the Maranello tea, as Ferrari attempts to get back to the top and create a winning cycle for the 2020s, as the Monegasque driver immediately adapted to the Italian side, asserting himself against senior team-mate Sebastian Vettel when he joined the Maranello team two years ago, when Charels was able to score two race wins during the 2019 Formula One season.
The 2020 F1 championship did not even start due to the pandemic when it was officially confirmed that Sebastian Vettel would not continue with Scuderia Ferrari at the end of 2020, with Charles Leclerc clearly selected as the spearhead and to be joined by Carlos Sainz for the current season.
It turned out 2020 was the Scuderia’s worst year for a long time, finishing only sixth in the Constructors’ Championship, but this term they have bounced back and are vying with McLaren for third place. Carlos Sainz has proven to be a more-than-able support act to Charles Leclerc: the Spanish driver is having a positive first season in Maranello, contributing 122.5 of the team’s 250.5 points total so far, but it was the Monegasque racer who was recently the subject of encouraging words from Lewis Hamilton.
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“It’s great to see how Charles has grown, he’s become a leader in a phenomenal team. Of course, they have had a difficult period but they are getting stronger. They are getting faster again and climbing up the rankings. Slowly they are catching up with the front teams.” – Lewis Hamilton said.
The Mercedes driver is currently involved in a close battle for the title with Red Bulll driver Max Verstappen who, at the age of 24, is only 16 days older than Charles Leclerc. Just as the Dutchman has elevated himself to a level this year where he looks entirely comfortable being embroiled in a classic title battle, Hamilton expects Charles Leclerc to continue his progression too.
“He’s still so young, he’s on a wonderful journey and he has the class to grow even further and become even stronger,” added the 36-year-old Mercedes driver – “Early on in his career he has shown his potential. His team is only going to progress and he is growing with it. I’m looking forward to the future when hopefully we will be racing together more.” – he concluded.
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