Charles Leclerc isn’t threatened by the arrival of Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari ahead of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.
There has been a media frenzy at Ferrari since Hamilton joined the Scuderia, granting Leclerc, the recent poster boy for the Italian giants, a rare opportunity to enjoy a quieter off-season.
Leclerc has embedded himself in the Ferrari squad, having won at Monza in his debut season with the team in 2019 and enjoyed a lengthy spell in the academy set-up before that and is a confident Italian speaker.
Hamilton went as far as to say Leclerc is “Mr Ferrari,” but the seven-time champion could threaten to topple Leclerc’s status as a team leader.
Leclerc dismisses any worry of that occurring, however, refuting that there’s competition to be number one at Ferrari and claiming the team comes above everything.
“There’s no place for one particular driver in Ferrari,” he told select media including Motorsport Week on Thursday.
“Ferrari is bigger than any driver and I think that’s always been the case in Ferrari.
“That’s what makes Ferrari so special. There’s support for the team and not for one specific driver.
“Obviously, Lewis is coming into the team as a legend of the sport and so there’s a lot more attention on him than there is for me at the moment.
“But I’m completely fine with it. I completely understand that and it’s normal that it’s that way.
“So it’s fine for me. But I don’t think there’s a competition on who needs to be the driver for Ferrari and there won’t ever be that.”
Hamilton has introduced himself to Ferrari ‘perfectly’ – Leclerc
After 12 seasons with Mercedes and six with McLaren before that, Hamilton moving to an Italian squad has introduced him to a whole new culture and way of working.
However, Leclerc acknowledged that Hamilton has already integrated himself into the team well and so far there’s been little advice he’s had to share about life at Ferrari.
“Honestly, I really don’t think Lewis needs any kind of advice from me,” he said.
“One thing for sure is that I know the environment more than Lewis does.
“But yeah, he’s introduced himself to the team perfectly and he already seems to be very, very at ease.
“So I think it’s a long process because obviously he will learn the car more. He will also obviously learn the team more.
“But we’ve been speaking about a lot of things.
“The advice I’ve given him until now is mostly about food. But he knows that if he needs anything, I’m here to answer his questions, no problems.
“But again, I think he needs less advice than I do from him.”
Hamilton sees similar working methods between himself and Leclerc
The Hamilton, Leclerc relationship at Ferrari is off to a strong start.
Both drivers have readily acknowledged the team is the priority and both have been glowing in praise of the other.
Asked on Thursday in Melbourne what has impressed him most about Leclerc, Hamilton cited a similar work ethic to his own, beyond acknowledging the Monegasque driver’s good looks.
“Beside his great hair? His eyes. I mean, he’s a good looking lad, you know,” Hamilton began.
“What surprised me most? Well, I would say, I would say work ethic.
“It’s been really, really good. I didn’t know, naturally, you don’t know what happens behind closed doors.
“Naturally, I think every driver works really hard, but everyone has a different method in how they achieve their ultimate performance. And it’s been really interesting to see.
“It’s not too dissimilar to mine, and you just see a hard working kid just getting on with it.
“He’s obviously been in the team a long time. It’s his second team.
“Obviously the team he was with before it was relatively short there, and then he’s had this amazing time at Ferrari.
“He’s very, very, very much Mr Ferrari, and it’s been really cool to work alongside him and I’m really looking forward to working alongside him for the year.”
How long will this team harmony last at Ferrari?
Only time will tell, but the Leclerc/Hamilton duo will be tested once both drivers start rubbing shoulders out on track.
READ MORE – Lewis Hamilton names detail that will make Charles Leclerc ‘not easy to beat’ at Ferrari
