Charles Leclerc confidently faces the prospect of Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari in 2025, welcoming the challenge with open arms.
Charles Leclerc emphasizes that he is not worried about having to face the most titled Formula 1 driver in history as his teammate at Ferrari starting from 2025.
Rumors suggested that, at least initially, Leclerc was upset that the team’s new boss, Frédéric Vasseur, decided to end his pairing with Carlos Sainz—a driver with whom Leclerc admits he gets along well due to their “shared sense of humor.”
When it is pointed out that he will have an “intense confrontation” next year with Lewis Hamilton, the Monegasque remains calm.
“It will be a good duel,” Leclerc insists. “I love competition, I love challenges, especially new ones. That’s the essence of Formula 1.”
Did he ever think for a moment about leaving Ferrari?
“Never. In fact, I hope to get along well with Lewis. He’s not just ‘Lewis the driver.’ He has become a much more significant figure.”
“Not everyone achieves that. There are those who prefer to stay in their F1 bubble. But Lewis has expanded his horizons, and the way he has done so is impressive.”
Some, however, fear that even with the impressive duo of Hamilton and Leclerc next year, Max Verstappen’s domination as a driver will be hard for Ferrari to overcome—regardless of Red Bull’s competitiveness.
“To become world champion, you need to have the best car-driver combination,” says Leclerc. “I don’t know what Max would do without Red Bull, and I don’t know what Red Bull would do without Max.”
“It’s a winning combination today, but it’s up to us to go out there and beat them.”
And Leclerc claims that Ferrari has already made good strides in narrowing the gap to Red Bull in early 2024.
“I am convinced that Ferrari has the best chance of achieving it. We have made a leap forward compared to 2023, but there is still a gap because it was large. But looking at the first race, we have improved more than them.”
Leclerc Unfazed by Hamilton as 2025 Ferrari Mate. Leclerc Unfazed by Hamilton as 2025 Ferrari Mate
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