After seven seasons in Formula 1, Charles Leclerc said he was finally ready to win the drivers’ title next year. But he faces a new challenge posed by Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time champion.
After 12 years and six titles with Mercedes, Hamilton replaces Carlos Sainz as teammate to Leclerc. In an interview in November, Leclerc said Hamilton “will bring a lot of motivation” to Ferrari.
“When you’ve a seven-time world champion joining the team, and this is the biggest move of the last many, many years, that gives a boost to the team,” he said.
“Everybody’s proud of being part of that story. We all want to make that story as successful as possible, including me. I want to add my bit to it, having the dream in my mind of being a Formula 1 world champion.”
Leclerc, 27, said he was excited about Hamilton’s arrival for two reasons.
“On one hand, I’m going to learn from one of the best,” he said, “and on the other, it’s a great opportunity for me to show what I can do against such an incredible driver.”
A title challenge faded in 2022 after a strong start. Leclerc said he had matured over the past three years. He goes into next season in good form. Since the summer break, he has scored more points than any other driver.
“I have improved in that I accept more when a weekend is not going exactly the way I want,” he said. “In the past, if that happened, if the car was not exactly the way I wanted, I would try to find something within it that was not there, and that would push me into making mistakes.
“I also feel like I have maximized the points a lot more throughout the season. That doesn’t mean I will never cross that line again. It’s always a game of trying to get as close as possible to the limit without ever stepping over.”
Fred Vasseur, the Ferrari team principal, said Leclerc “always works hard,” and although he “has made mistakes, that’s part of his growth process.”
“If I compare to last year, we were quick, which was also the characteristic of the car,” Vasseur said. “We were probably quicker in qualifying, and we struggled more in the race. If I see a difference, he’s able to manage the race more when we need it.”
In terms of points scored, this is Leclerc’s best season in Formula 1. He has won three Grands Prix and been on the podium another nine times. He said he and the team, second in the constructors’ championship to McLaren, could not have achieved more.
“It’s not been very often where I look back and I have felt there have been few missed opportunities, so it’s been a positive season,” Leclerc said.
“At the end of the day, we have just missed performance, especially at the beginning of the season, to be fighting for better things. But in terms of maximizing what we had, we did a really good job.”
He credits Vasseur for transforming the team following his appointment in January last year. At the end of his sixth season with Ferrari, Leclerc said “the mentality within the team and the way we work is so much better. We are a much more solid team.”
“Where Fred is extremely good is in taking a step back in whatever situation we find ourselves,” Leclerc said. “That’s very difficult because it’s a sport, and we all care a lot about what we do, and we all really want to do well.
“We are affected whether things go good or bad, but Fred is emotionally very flat. That’s a huge quality to run Ferrari because the team is the opposite, mostly because there is so much passion within it.”
After finishing second in the drivers’ championship in 2022 behind Max Verstappen of Red Bull, Leclerc, who is third this year, said he was “ready for the championship” in 2025.
“We just need a car that, throughout the season, is capable of doing that,” he said. “But I’m fully confident the next team to be able to beat Red Bull, especially for the championship, will be us.”
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