Seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton has offered a glimpse into his burgeoning relationship with new Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, revealing his eagerness to learn from the “massively talented” Monegasque driver.
Since his highly anticipated arrival at the Scuderia Ferrari in January, Hamilton has been diligently integrating himself into the team’s culture and operations.
A significant part of this process has involved working closely with Leclerc, both at the team’s season launch event and during crucial pre-season testing in Bahrain.
“Charles is massively talented,” Hamilton stated during the Bahrain test days, emphasizing the positive dynamic between the two drivers. “Getting to see him work opposite the table and watching him in the garage, it’s been really, really great.”
Leclerc, who has been with Ferrari since 2019 and boasts a deep understanding of the team’s inner workings, has facilitated Hamilton’s smooth transition.
“Obviously he’s been here for a long time, so he knows the team well, he speaks Italian, he’s at home and at ease,” Hamilton acknowledged. “But because we already had a friendship before, that’s made it a lot easier to just get straight into working together.”
The mutual respect between the two drivers is evident, with Hamilton expressing his admiration for Leclerc’s abilities.
“He’s incredibly talented, so he’s going to be so fast this year. I’m looking forward to learning what I can from him and supporting him alongside the team to deliver the best results we can get.”
Beyond fostering a strong working relationship with Leclerc, Hamilton has been focused on adapting to the intricacies of his new car, the SF-25.
“I don’t have a crystal ball,” he said, when asked about his progress. “All I can say is we’re just taking it one day at a time. We’re really, really just focused on doing our job, we’re not watching everything else that’s happening.”
The 40-year-old explained the learning curve involved in mastering the car’s systems.
“With every lap and every session that I get, I’m learning more about the car, getting more and more comfortable with the completely different control systems that we have. I’m still in the learning phase of understanding the rear suspension, the front suspension, all the different settings that they have for those, and the terminology that they use for them as well. My engineer and I are also learning how we both like to work, in terms of communication.”
Hamilton highlighted the rapid progress made in a short period. “I’ve been really looking into the previous great drivers that came along, such as Sebastian [Vettel] and Fernando [Alonso], who started much earlier than me, in November, for example, so we’ve done a lot in that small period of time that we’ve had. I think it’s been great and really well reciprocated on both sides.”
The veteran driver’s comments come as excitement builds for the 2025 Formula 1 season. With Hamilton and Leclerc forming a formidable partnership, Ferrari aims to challenge for both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships.
