Charles Leclerc has detailed how he is been in a position to concentrate on his personal preparations for the 2025 Components 1 season, with the highlight on his new Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton, and the benefits this brings.
Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari has dominated information tales and been the topic of a lot social media dialogue.
The concentrate on the seven-time F1 world champion has been huge and is in stark distinction to Leclerc’s low-key Ferrari arrival in 2019, when he was promoted from Sauber to change into Sebastian Vettel’s team-mate.
Leclerc mentioned: “Clearly, it’s totally totally different, the scenario that Lewis finds himself in becoming a member of the staff. After I joined, I solely had finished one yr in Components 1, so it was nonetheless new to me.
“I needed to find out how a staff like Ferrari would work in Components 1, though I knew the manufacturing facility and every thing by being within the Ferrari Driver Academy earlier than.
“For Lewis, an Italian staff is new to him, however he is achieved a lot and he arrives right here, clearly, as a legend of the game.
“So it is actually cool to see what it was like for him to have a lot success in different groups and the best way they used to work.
“On that, we have learnt loads. And it was actually thrilling additionally to see how completely happy and excited he was about the entire thing.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Picture by: Clive Rose / Motorsport Photographs
“For me, that meant that the low season was a bit extra within the shadow, however I loved it.
“I targeted on myself. I am pushing on the most to be prepared for the primary race. And I am actually trying ahead to this yr, hoping we’ll begin the yr on a extra optimistic means in comparison with final yr.”
When requested about their fledgling partnership, Leclerc added: “I used to be stunned – our driving fashion could be very comparable.
“We each prefer to push rather a lot, particularly the entries to the corners, in order that’s optimistic as a result of it requires the identical factor out of the automobile.
“As a staff, that’s at all times a very good factor as a result of we’ll positively push in the identical course as a result of we want the identical issues, so we’re working tremendous properly collectively.
“We have spent fairly a little bit of time collectively because the starting of the yr. Much less on monitor, extra within the studio to do footage, which isn’t the half we get pleasure from most, nevertheless it’s a part of the job, however I am trying ahead to race with him and hopefully convey Ferrari again to the highest.”
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur says the staff wouldn’t change into distracted by the curiosity being proven in Hamilton’s arrival.
“I feel all people and each single staff is worked up in the beginning of the season – it is the DNA of our sport,” he mentioned.
“All of us have the sensation that we will be world champions in the beginning. And if you find yourself talking in regards to the drivers or to the groups, we’re all optimistic.
“In our case, in our scenario, it went very properly this winter. For positive, we had an enormous wave of promoting, however the staff stayed targeted all of the winter.”
Photographs from the Bahrain Pre-Season Testing – Day 2
On this article
Ben Hunt
Components 1
Lewis Hamilton
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
Be the primary to know and subscribe for real-time information e-mail updates on these subjects
Subscribe to information alerts
