Charles Leclerc describes Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari as ‘crazy’
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Ferrari's Charles Leclerc also paid tribute to the progress the team have made under the stewardship of their French team principal, Fred Vasseur.
PHOTO: AFP
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ABU DHABI – Charles Leclerc has said that having Lewis Hamilton in the other half of the Ferrari garage next season is going to be “crazy”.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton is preparing to end his glittering 12-year spell with Mercedes
“With Lewis it’s going to be crazy because he is such a talented driver,” Leclerc said at the Yas Marina Circuit.
“He’s the most successful driver in Formula One and so it’s going to be a great challenge to measure myself against him in the same car. I’m eager to learn from Lewis but also to show what I can do alongside him.”
With Leclerc’s three wins and two from Carlos Sainz, the man making way for Hamilton, Ferrari go into the season’s 24th race with an outside shot at securing their first constructors’ title since 2008.
The most celebrated marque in the sport are placed second, 21 points behind McLaren.
“It’s still doable,” added Leclerc, before he was hit with a 10-grid penalty on Dec 6 for a change of his car’s battery.
“But we’re not going to deceive ourselves, we’re going to need to do a really good job and for McLaren to find themselves in a spot of bother. We can’t say how McLaren will perform, but we can try to control what we do.”
Leclerc also paid tribute to the progress the team have made under the stewardship of their French team principal, Fred Vasseur. He believes the future is bright for the Italian team.
“I think 200 per cent that if there’s a team that is going to win the world title, it’s Ferrari,” he said.
“We are in the best position possible and once again that’s thanks to Fred, those in the team and the people coming in to strengthen us.”
Sainz, meanwhile, said that helping Ferrari win the constructors’ title for the first time in 16 years would be a perfect farewell as he prepares to leave.
“(It) would mean everything to me, honestly,” the Spaniard said.
“It is, I think, the best way to say goodbye to my home these last four years and to the team that I’ve given my absolute best for the last four years. I’ve enjoyed every single moment with them. And to say goodbye with a constructors’ title would be the perfect goodbye.”
Sainz said the odds were against Ferrari but like Leclerc, he feels the task is not impossible.
He said both he and Leclerc would need to be on the podium to do it, and he hoped to sign off with a win.
“Being 21 points behind two of the fastest drivers and one of the fastest teams, and recovering those 21 points in one weekend requires perfection from our side and probably a bad weekend from their side,” he said.
“It’s still going to be difficult, and we’re going to give it our best shot.”
In other news, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff showed some rare support for FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and his campaign to cut out the swearing in the sport.
Wolff spoke out after his driver George Russell repeated to reporters the language he said Red Bull’s Max Verstappen used towards him after being stripped of pole position at last weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix.
Ben Sulayem has urged drivers to cut out the swearing, reminding them of their influence as role models.
“I’ve got an eight-year-old nephew who’s just started go-karting, who watches all of my races,” Russell said.
“And for a world champion to be coming out saying he’s going to go out of his way to crash into someone and put them on their effing head, that is not the sort of role models we should be.”
Wolff agreed, saying: “I have a thing about the swearing. I have a similar seven-year-old that go-karts, that watches everything.
“I disagree with many of the other things that he (Ben Sulayem) came up with. But on that one... for me, I’d be happy to sanction that even more.” AFP, REUTERS
