Lewis Hamilton: "Charles Leclerc is truly Mr. Ferrari"

"Besides his great hair? His eyes. I mean, he's a good-looking guy, right?" When answering the question "What impressed you most about Charles Leclerc ? ", Lewis Hamilton plays the humor card. The Briton, with a dazzling smile for his first pre-Grand Prix press conference with Ferrari, finally regained his seriousness to talk about his new teammate. "I would say his work ethic. It's really impressive," notes the seven-time world champion. "It was really interesting to see. It's not that different from mine, and you just see a hard-working guy who does his job. He's obviously been with the team for a long time. This is his second team. Obviously, the one before (Sauber, editor's note), he was there for a relatively short time, and then he had this incredible adventure at Ferrari. And so, he's really, really, really Mr. Ferrari, and I'm really looking forward to working with him this year."

Charles Leclerc may feel flattered to receive so much praise from such a champion, even if Lewis Hamilton was quick to give compliments this Thursday morning. The former driver Mercedes did not hold back from saying all the good things he thinks about his successor at the Silver Arrows, Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

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Sainz says Leclerc is ready to win

The Italian was present at the press conference with Hamilton and Carlos Sainz, who was also asked about his former teammate Charles Leclerc. Having worked together for four seasons, the two men had a very positive relationship, despite a few minor clashes on the track due to their respective competitiveness.

"I think Charles has done a great job representing the Ferrari colors, the Ferrari brand, for many years." recognizes number 55, which now wears the colors of Williams. “I don’t think anyone needs to talk about his talent and speed; everyone knows that. But in terms of his demeanor, the way he treats everyone in the team, the way he carries the Ferrari brand around the world, I think he’s doing an incredible job, and he’s part of this growth that Ferrari has experienced recently. Ferrari has a great ambassador in him. Bravo to him, great job. I think he’s progressed, both as a driver and as a human being, all these years. And he’s probably now in one of the best moments of his career. He feels mature, comfortable, and probably ready to win. So let’s see what they can do here.”

Winning is what Charles Leclerc is aiming for, having already announced that not winning either championship this year would be "a disappointment." With the arrival of Lewis Hamilton and 2024 just a stone's throw away, McLaren, both championships must be objectives for the Scuderia.