Charles Leclerc: I’m looking forward to competing with Hamilton

There has long been no doubt that Charles Leclerc is one of the best drivers in modern Formula 1, and this year his cherished dream came true: winning the Monaco Grand Prix, which takes place in his home country, in the Mediterranean city-state.

But of course he has another dream: to become world champion, but so far Charles can only boast six victories and the title of vice-champion: at the end of the 2022 season he finished in 2nd place, losing to Max Verstappen.

This year the speed of the Ferrari car does not allow us to count on great performances, but even if the Italian team can improve in 2025, Leclerc will face new difficulties on the way to his goal, and these are related to the fact that Lewis Hamilton will be his new partner.

“It’s incredibly exciting to have Lewis joining our team,” Charles told the British edition of the Gentleman’s Journal in an interview. “He’ll be driving the same car and for me, first and foremost, it’s a great opportunity to learn from one of the greatest racing drivers of all time.

But secondly, I think this is also a great opportunity for me to show what I can do, so I’m already excited.”

When Hamilton won his first title, Charles was only 11 years old, and he was of course still busy with karting: “As a kid I spent every weekend at the kart track, and it was difficult for me to really follow Formula 1, so I only watched individual races, and Lewis was definitely one of the ones I paid attention to.

I remember that all these great drivers made a big impression on me during my debut season in F1, and I was afraid of them. Lewis was probably the best overall at that time, and when I started competing with him on the tracks it was incredibly interesting.

When Leclerc was asked if he would help his new team-mate in any way to adapt to the team, the answer was categorical: “No, of course not. When I put on a helmet, I don’t think about anything anymore. In this situation, a person changes; he has no thoughts about who is who. You simply complete your task.

Now I have to compete with Lewis and you could say I have to forget the names of everyone who is there in the paddock and concentrate completely on my own performance.

My goal is to become world champion with Ferrari, that’s all. I want to achieve this only with Ferrari and I give everything. But here talent alone is not enough – you have to work hard. There are 19 other incredibly talented drivers in Formula 1, but in the end success depends on how hard you work.”