Leclerc praises Vasseur: “Hamilton's arrival demonstrates his vision”

Leclerc and Hamilton

When Charles Leclerc announced his multi-year renewal with Ferrari last January 25th, no one could have ever imagined that a week later it would be announced Lewis Hamilton as his next teammate starting from 2025. For Leclerc it will be a real challenge to compete with a seven-time world champion, but also the best possible testimony of Ferrari's desire to return to winning the world title.

The surprise

“I honestly never thought Hamilton would arrive“, Leclerc explained to journalists in the Sakhir paddock, adding: “Obviously I knew what was happening before you, but when I was told he was signing, I was left speechless. It was a real surprise for me.”

Praise to Vasseur

There is no mystery about the bond between Frederic Vasseur and Charles Leclerc, born in the years preceding their common militancy at Ferrari. The Monegasque wanted to praise his team principal for the Hamilton coup: “This shows the vision of our boss Fred Vasseur, his plans for Ferrari. We want to bring the Red team to the world title. And because I believe in Ferrari, I signed a multi-year contract“. And he concluded: “I'm really impressed with how the work with Fred is going. He learned the basics much faster than expected, because Ferrari is a big team and operates differently to a normal team. He understood how to get the best out of his employees and the positions he needed to strengthen – all aspects that proved fundamental in signing the contract. Even if, for me, Ferrari is a matter of the heart.”