Leclerc On Hamilton: It Will Be 'Extremely Interesting' To See Direct Comparison

Wednesday, 21 August 2024 at 20:00

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc walking together through the paddock at one of the F1 circuits, with Red Bull hospitality and the FIA office in the background.

Charles Leclerc described Lewis Hamilton's future arrival as "extremely positive" and explained the main reasons why he sees it that way.

During his seven-year F1 career, Charles Leclerc raced alongside three different teammates, and he is set to get a new one after the end of 2024.

His current teammate and friend, Carlos Sainz, will leave for Williams and be replaced by the seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton.

The 26-year-old has already spoken several times about what he expects from Hamilton. When asked about the 39-year-old's potential impact during his latest appearance on the Beyond the Grid podcast, he said:

"I mean, obviously, extremely positive. I think when a champion like Lewis gets to any team, it brings a lot of motivation out of every single person out of the team."

Read also

Hamilton's Engineer 'Bono' Will Not Follow To Ferrari Amid Mercedes Promotion

Ferrari might need this kind of motivation as the Italian team fell back a bit compared to their rivals after few races of the season.

"So that will be, obviously, the first really positive effect it will have on Ferrari, and obviously he will come also, along with all the experience that he’s had over the years with Mercedes, a different way of working, a different vision, and this is always benefiting a team."

Although Hamilton is by no means an engineer, he still has quite a good insight into how the German team operates, what works and what doesn't, and he might even be familiar with their plans for the future- all of this information can help Scuderia.

However, what Leclerc looks forward to the most is the direct comparison to the most successful driver of all time in equal machinery. He added:

"Other than that, obviously, for me, it's going to be amazing, because I'll have in the same car as me the most successful driver in F1 history – and that will be both extremely interesting for me to learn from one of the best ever, as well as a really big challenge and motivation to beat Lewis and to show what I'm capable of."