Lewis Hamilton says the work ethic of “Mr Ferrari” Charles Leclerc is what has stunned him most about his new Method 1 team-mate on the Scuderia.
Hamilton’s blockbuster transfer from Mercedes to affix Ferrari means he turns into Leclerc’s third team-mate within the Monegasque’s now seven-year stint in purple – after Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz.
Each Hamilton and Sainz had been requested to present their opinions on Leclerc within the pre-event press convention for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix – with how Ferrari’s new line-up in the end examine set to be one of many greatest speaking factors of the brand new marketing campaign.
After initially joking “beside his nice hair?”, Hamilton stated: “What stunned me most? Properly, I’d say work ethic. It has been actually good.
“I did not know [that before], you do not know what occurs behind closed doorways.
“Naturally, I feel each driver works actually arduous, however everybody has a special methodology and the way they obtain that final efficiency.
“And it has been actually attention-grabbing to see, his just isn’t too dissimilar to mine. And also you simply see a hardworking child, simply getting on with it.
“He is clearly been within the workforce a very long time. It is his second workforce – clearly the workforce he was with earlier than was, was comparatively brief there, after which he is had this superb time at Ferrari.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photograph by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Photos
“And so, he’s very a lot Mr Ferrari and it has been actually cool to work alongside him and I am actually wanting ahead to working alongside him for the 12 months.”
Sainz, who has moved to Williams for 2025 after being squeezed out of Ferrari by its cope with Hamilton, in contrast strongly in opposition to Leclerc of their 4 seasons as team-mates.
He steered his former colleague is now hitting a high-point in his profession – with Leclerc’s 2024 season thought of by many F1 observers to be his greatest within the class to this point.
It featured little in the best way of the wild crashing that marred his early seasons and contained a number of spectacular wins – notably these at Monaco and Monza.
“I feel nobody wants to speak about his expertise and his velocity – everybody is aware of that,” Sainz stated.
“I feel he is doing an unbelievable job and he is a part of that workforce progress that Ferrari has seen just lately. And in that Ferrari has an ideal ambassador additionally. And in addition, good on him – good job.
“He is been progressing each as a driver, but in addition as a human being all these years and he is now in all probability in one in all his sweetest spots of his profession. He feels mature, snug and possibly able to win. So, let’s examine what they will do that 12 months.”
On this article
Alex Kalinauckas
Method 1
Lewis Hamilton
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
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