Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who looked up to Lewis Hamilton during his karting days, eagerly anticipates the chance to race alongside him at Ferrari next year. However, the Monegasque driver has emphasized that his feelings for Hamilton won’t come in the way of racing after he has put his helmet on.
The seven-time world champion’s high-profile switch to Ferrari was announced in February, marking his quest to secure an eighth world title with the Maranello team. The formidable pairing of Hamilton and Leclerc promises to be a game-changer for the upcoming season, combining their considerable skills to impact the championship race.
Hamilton has already notched two Grand Prix victories this season, while Leclerc has claimed a win at his home race in Monaco. Revealing Hamilton’s influence on his racing journey and the impact of his arrival at Ferrari, Leclerc told The Gentleman’s Journal:
“It’s going to be incredible to have Lewis on the team.
“And, obviously, to be able to have such an incredible champion in the same team as me, with the same car.
“First, it’s going to be a great opportunity to learn from one of the best ever.
“And second, I think it is going to be an amazing opportunity, also, for me to be able to show what I’m capable of, so I’m really looking forward to it.
“By being on karting tracks every weekend growing up, it was difficult for me to actually follow a Formula 1 season, so I used to watch some races and he was definitely one of the guys that I looked up to.
“In the first year [in F1], I remember being super-impressed and intimidated by all these amazing drivers, and Lewis is probably the best out there, so being able to race with him was crazy.”
He was then asked if he would ‘show mercy to the newbie as he gets to grips with his first new team in more than a decade’. Leclerc said:
“No, of course not.
“No, no, no – when I’m putting the helmet on, then there’s none of this anymore. You change, you don’t think about who is who and you just go for it.
“Now I’m racing Lewis, so I’ve got to forget a little bit the names that are inside the paddock, and just focus on my own performance whenever I’m on track.”
With ten races remaining in the 2024 season, Mercedes and McLaren are emerging as the strongest challengers to Red Bull’s dominance at the front. Meanwhile, Ferrari is focused on addressing the issues with its mid-season upgrades, which adversely affected the SF-24’s performance.
