Charles Leclerc believes Lewis Hamilton has come to Ferrari at “the right time” in Formula 1, as he revealed that his team-mate’s arrival has been a “big boost” to the team.
The Italian marque has paired Leclerc with seven-time champion Hamilton to create a line-up that the team hopes can be the pairing that brings home an elusive F1 title.
Ferrari is enduring an elongated run without a single championship as the team hasn’t prevailed over an entire campaign since capturing the Constructors’ crown in 2008.
But there were positive signs that Ferrari is on the right path in 2024, despite the team’s drought continuing as it came up short to McLaren in a contest that went to the wire.
Hamilton has an inspired past with making moves at the optimal time, with his switch to Mercedes in 2013 culminating in him adding six titles and surpassing 100 race victories.
Leclerc has insisted that Hamilton has chosen an opportune point in Ferrari’s development to come on board with Fred Vasseur’s calming presence at the helm.
“I think Lewis is coming into the team in [at] the right time,” Leclerc told media including Motorsport Week once he had completed his debut run in the team’s SF-25 car.
“I think Fred is a guy that has a very big strength of keeping the emotional level of the team at a very good level, and we’ve been so much more solid on that in the last past years.
“Obviously the fact that Lewis has joined the team has been a big boost and has been amazing in so many ways. But I feel like the team is very, very calm and very calm and very clear in what is the direction to work in and not getting too affected by everything that is going on around the team, and that is extremely important and that’s great to see.”
Leclerc learning alongside Hamilton at Ferrari
Having conducted numerous outings in previous-spec Ferrari cars, Hamilton, along with Leclerc, has now driven the SF-25 the duo will race in 2025 at the Fiorano circuit.
Leclerc divulged that those experiences have enabled him to observe Hamilton up close and even pinpoint similarities in their respective driving tendencies at the wheel.
“It’s always very, very interesting the first few weeks with a new team-mate, and especially when your team-mate is Lewis Hamilton,” he added.
“He’s achieved so much, it’s super interesting, and it’s super cool for me to be able to analyse how he actually works day to day with his engineers.
“What are the comments that he makes, what are the things that he puts particular attention on, because obviously it’s been a very successful approach.
“And as I was saying, he’s the most successful driver in Formula 1.
“So of course, I’ve been looking and trying to analyse and learn as much as I can from Lewis in this first few weeks. [It] is very difficult for now, because we haven’t been with the same car at the same time on track…but I can see a little bit the traits of his driving style, and it’s really cool to see and analyse.
“So it went really well. We also have a very good relationship and managed to spend quite a bit of time together, and we cannot wait to be starting to race each other.”
Ferrari not distracted by Hamilton fanfare
Hamilton has dominated the headlines since beginning his Ferrari venture last month and he received a rapturous reception when he walked on the stage at F1’s season launch.
But while he has acknowledged the increased enthusiasm surrounding Ferrari going into the season, Leclerc denied that it has proven a distraction to him or the team.
Asked whether the attention on Ferrari has surprised him, Leclerc replied: “No, I haven’t been surprised. I think Ferrari has always had a lot of attention around the team.
“And of course, this year, it’s even bigger because Lewis is joining the team and he’s obviously a legend of the sport, so it’s normal that there’s even more attention than there normally is.
“But let’s say that the normal standard is already quite high. Now with Lewis, everything is kind of exploding and there’s obviously a lot of coverage and a lot of requests and all of this.
“But it’s part of the job and I think the team in the background is doing a really good job because as a driver, it’s not like I can feel it that much.
“I can obviously see the craziness.
“Today we’re in Fiorano, we drove the car today and I can see the craziness around the track and that’s amazing to see. But yeah, I only see the positive.”
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