Leclerc on 'incredible' Hamilton, mindset & Ferrari dip

Charles Leclerc says erstwhile Ferrari told him Lewis Hamilton would beryllium joining nan squad adjacent year, his first thought was: 'What an opportunity.'

Seven-time champion Hamilton will beryllium Leclerc’s 3rd team-mate successful what will beryllium his seventh play astatine Ferrari, pursuing four-time champion Sebastian Vettel and existent partner Carlos Sainz.

"For me," Leclerc tells BBC Sport successful a wide-ranging exclusive interview, "it's an unthinkable opportunity. First, to study from nan astir successful driver ever. And to beryllium myself arsenic good against Lewis, who is simply a benchmark for everybody."

Inside F1, immoderate viewed Ferrari's determination to motion Hamilton past wintertime arsenic a rustle for Leclerc.

For years nan squad had been making it clear Leclerc was nan driver they had invested successful to lead them to nan World Championship. So to some, signing Hamilton seemed to propose Ferrari mightiness person mislaid a small assurance successful their protege.

Leclerc, 26, says he ne'er thought of it that way.

"Not astatine all," he says. "Because Ferrari is Ferrari. And they request nan champion drivers successful their cars. So, for nan use of Ferrari, it is wholly understandable.

"For me, I don't spot immoderate antagonistic successful that, because it's Lewis Hamilton."

Does Leclerc deliberation he tin hit Hamilton?

"Well," he says. "I request to beryllium convinced that I americium nan fastest driver erstwhile I put nan helmet on, but I americium really looking guardant to it, and it will beryllium super-interesting for me.

"I person ever said you study from each azygous team-mate you person complete your career. When I look astatine nan measurement he drives - because we ever look astatine each different and information - you don't really spot immoderate weaknesses. And that's wherever Lewis is incredible. He's only sewage strengths.

"So I'm really looking guardant to seeing really he useful pinch his engineers, nan feedback, and each of these kings of things, to study and go better."

The match-up betwixt Hamilton, 39, and Leclerc is particularly absorbing because it pits nan astir successful driver successful F1 history against nan 1 galore successful nan athletics deliberation mightiness presently beryllium nan fastest of each complete 1 lap.

Leclerc has compiled a bid of spectacular rod positions crossed his career, and pinch 24 is already 12th successful nan all-time database - adjacent pinch three-time champions Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet.

Putting nan uncompetitive 2021 Ferrari connected rod successful some Monaco and Baku, for example, was an outstanding accomplishment - arsenic was his stunning rod thigh successful Singapore successful 2019.

Does Leclerc work together he is nan fastest driver successful F1?

"It's a bully question," he says. "As a driver, you ever person nan assurance you are nan fastest and I do person that whenever I spell for a qualifying lap.

"It's each astir that mindset and putting that thigh together successful qualifying erstwhile it is needed and nan unit is super-high. This is an workout I person ever loved."

Why does he deliberation he is truthful speedy complete 1 lap?

"I've ever said I thrust a batch pinch nan intuition," he says. "I activity a lot, of course. But that is wherever 1 of my strengths is, that I consciousness things very, very quickly."

Does he deliberation he takes much risks than immoderate rivals successful qualifying?

"I don't deliberation truthful connected astir of nan tracks," Leclerc says. "On thoroughfare tracks, I would thin to deliberation that possibly sometimes I return a spot much consequence than nan others but I don't know.

"You don't thin to do nan fastest thigh by being nan astir connected nan separator arsenic possible. Sometimes, being a mini spot nether nan limit is faster than being connected nan limit, because connected nan limit you are opening nan balance, you get monolithic snaps and you suffer a batch [of time].

"So it's a equilibrium betwixt knowing which corners you tin push level retired and extract nan maximum retired of nan car, and immoderate corners wherever you really person to return it astatine 95% and this is simply a faster way. And that's wherever it's much astir apt nan intuition that comes retired connected top."

Leclerc says nan offset betwixt his rod tally and his six victories is mostly because "we person had very often successful nan past a car that was very beardown successful qualifying but past complete a title region we were destroying nan tyres" - thing Ferrari are "working connected and really changing nan inclination now but we've mislaid a small spot nan gait successful qualifying".

He doesn’t mention nan aggregate others he mislaid to Ferrari's strategy and operational blunders and reliability fallings done nan era of previous squad leader Mattia Binotto.

When Hamilton made his determination to move to Ferrari, it looked an inspired one, because nan Italian squad had ended 2023 powerfully and appeared successful amended style than Mercedes.

Despite Max Verstappen's domination pinch Red Bull, Ferrari took six poles successful nan last 11 races of past season, and Leclerc 3 of nan past five.

Ferrari narrowly missed retired connected catching Mercedes for 2nd spot successful nan 2023 constructors' championship, and they started this play arsenic nan clear second-best squad to Red Bull.

This beardown play culminated pinch victory for Leclerc successful Monaco, connected nan streets wherever he grew up and first dreamed of becoming an F1 driver. He had yet delivered a triumph he had threatened successful some 2021 and 2022, only for circumstances to intervene.

"A operation of things made this triumph truthful special," Leclerc says. "It intends a batch to maine to beryllium racing astatine home, and location being Monaco - 1 of nan astir challenging tracks connected nan calendar

"Second, everything that happened successful nan past that denied america nan triumph moreover erstwhile we were successful nan champion imaginable spot to do that. It was ever very difficult to accept. As a driver, you ne'er cognize erstwhile nan adjacent opportunity will get again connected specified a track, truthful it was astonishing this twelvemonth to yet make it."

Since Monaco, Leclerc and Ferrari person been done a difficult phase, conscionable arsenic Mercedes look yet to person sewage a grip connected their car.

An upgrade introduced astatine nan Spanish Grand Prix past period created problems, and for nan past title astatine Silverstone nan squad took it off, and reverted nan car to a erstwhile specification.

It has alternatively spoiled what had until past been obvious, accordant advancement by Ferrari nether squad main Frederic Vasseur, who took complete astatine nan commencement of 2023. But Leclerc believes nan squad are still connected nan correct way nether Vasseur.

"Fred has 2 very large strengths which are very important successful F1 and particularly successful a squad for illustration Ferrari, wherever nan passion is truthful precocious that successful very bully moments location are tons of emotions but location are besides very large emotions whenever we are going done a reliable time," says Leclerc.

"In F1, you request to beryllium arsenic level emotionally arsenic imaginable and Fred is ever a small spot nan balance.

"Whenever we person very difficult moments, he helps nan squad to beryllium backmost astatine a reasonable level and not beryllium excessively disappointed. And precisely nan aforesaid erstwhile we win, to not beryllium excessively precocious and bring america backmost down and show everybody we've sewage to activity because this is only 1 race."

Vasseur's different quality, Leclerc says, is "to put each azygous personification successful nan information for them to activity astatine their best. What has helped america successful nan past twelvemonth and a half is that we person had a very clear imagination of what issues we want to reside successful bid to beryllium quicker."

Leclerc has known his squad leader for galore years. They enjoyed occurrence successful nan inferior categories, and worked together astatine Sauber erstwhile Leclerc made his F1 debut successful 2018. As such, Vasseur is besides a useful confidant connected a individual level.

Leclerc is renowned for his self-criticism, and Vasseur is personification he tin bounce off.

"It's very important to beryllium self-critical successful F1 because you find yourself successful a situation, successful a position that group thin to work together pinch you much often than not," Leclerc says.

"That mightiness consciousness bully successful nan first fewer moments, but I don't deliberation it is simply a bully point for a driver, conscionable because you don't person that honesty astir you immoderate more.

"That's why I person ever been very honorable pinch myself, and if thing moreover harsher pinch myself than pinch anybody else. Just to equilibrium it retired a small spot pinch nan business I find myself in.

"It has worked retired for me. In nan past, it has ever been 1 of my characteristics to beryllium difficult connected myself. I deliberation it is simply a spot my begetter who helped maine to understand that it was very important for maine to beryllium honorable pinch myself. And I person ever kept that.

"When I was younger, it wasn't beneficial because I was excessively difficult connected myself and I would really put myself down. Then I person learned pinch clip that it is very important to beryllium honest, but to still person assurance successful yourself and it is nan equilibrium of nan 2 that useful good for me.

"But now location is besides Fred, and we person a very bully narration and he knows maine since a agelong clip earlier F1, truthful he is decidedly not acrophobic of telling maine erstwhile I do thing incorrect aliases erstwhile he thinks that I americium saying aliases doing thing wrong. This is simply a very important personification to person by my side."

Despite Ferrari's caller hiccup successful form, Leclerc still believes nan squad tin return to nan apical this season.

"In nan past fewer races, we are not precisely wherever we want to beryllium successful position of capacity and that is my main privilege - to travel backmost to a capacity wherever we are successful nan conflict for poles and wins," he says.

"I would expect america to beryllium successful nan conflict pinch McLaren and Red Bull arsenic soon arsenic we maximise nan imaginable of our upgrades connected nan car."

The drivers' title looks retired of reach, realistically - astatine nan halfway point, Leclerc is successful 3rd place, 105 points down Verstappen. As for nan constructors' title, Ferrari are 71 points down pinch only 1 Red Bull scoring large points because of nan dip successful shape successful caller races by Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez.

What does Leclerc deliberation he and Ferrari tin execute complete nan remaining 12 races?

"I still judge nan highest targets are possible, which intends nan championship," he says.

Really?

"Yes, I do."

Is that conscionable racing-driver optimism?

"I don't know," he says, "but I deliberation it's important for maine to support that optimism and to support that information very high.

"At nan end, we are speaking astir 0.2secs. Which, whenever we put everything together, it's not that crazy. We've sewage to attraction connected each azygous item and nan play is still agelong and truthful I still judge successful that."