‘It’s going to be amazing for me’ – Leclerc on the impact of Hamilton joining Ferrari as he opens up on times he ‘hated’ Sainz

Charles Leclerc is expecting Lewis Hamilton to have a significant impact on Ferrari, with the Monegasque believing that the seven-time champion’s level of experience will benefit the squad as well as providing extra motivation – both to the team and to himself as Hamilton’s team mate.

The F1 world was taken by surprise when it was announced back in February that Hamilton would join the Scuderia in 2025 on a multi-year deal, bringing his extensive relationship with Mercedes to an end after 12 seasons together.

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With Carlos Sainz having to make way for the Briton, Leclerc will be the one to race alongside Hamilton and, during an appearance on F1’s Beyond The Grid podcast, the 26-year-old spoke positively about how the veteran driver can benefit the Italian outfit.

“When a champion like Lewis gets to any team, it brings a lot of motivation out of every single person,” Leclerc explained.

“He will come along with all the experience that he's had over the years with Mercedes – a different way of working, a different vision – and this is always benefitting a team.”

From a personal perspective, Leclerc thinks that Hamilton will provide a strong benchmark to match his own performance against.

“Obviously for me it's going to be amazing because I’ll have in the same car as me the most successful driver in F1 history,” Leclerc continued.

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“That will be both extremely interesting for me to learn from one of the best ever, as well as a really big challenge and motivation to beat Lewis and to show what I'm capable of.

“With Lewis joining the team, he will definitely be a benchmark so it will be very important for me to be on my top level.”

The impending arrival of Hamilton means that Leclerc’s stint as team mates with Sainz will come to a close after four years, with the Spaniard now set to join Williams in 2025.

Reflecting on what he will miss about Sainz, the seven-time race winner spoke fondly of their relationship whilst also acknowledging that they have sometimes disagreed with each other during on-track moments.

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“I think we get on very, very well,” said Leclerc. “Yes, there have been many moments where, inside the helmet, I hated him and he hated me, because we didn't view the situation in the same way.

“But everything was fixed after a discussion between us two. We share many interests and we’ve had a lot of memorable moments that I will remember forever.”