“He Sees it More as an Opportunity”: Fred Vasseur Reveals Charles Leclerc Was Always On Board to Have Lewis Hamilton as a Teammate

Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton grabbed all the headlines at the end of last month when he confirmed that he would snub Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025. Although the spotlight has been on the Briton ever since, many have focused on how his move to Maranello will change the dynamics at the Italian outfit. Some F1 experts believe that Charles Leclerc will not appreciate Ferrari bringing Hamilton on board as this move will only add further pressure on him. However, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur is not one of them. The Frenchman believes that Leclerc will see this move as an opportunity for him to become better as a driver.

While speaking to Sky News Italia about how Leclerc reacted to the news that Hamilton would be moving to Ferrari in 2025, Vasseur said, “Leclerc is an intelligent boy. He understood immediately what he will be able to obtain and learn from this collaboration. He sees it more as an opportunity“.

Similarly to Vasseur, Leclerc himself has revealed why he will welcome Hamilton to Ferrari in 2025 with open arms. The Monegasque said that since professional drivers like him want to compete against the very best, Hamilton would help him do exactly that.

Even though Leclerc has made such claims while speaking to the media, several reports have stated otherwise. These reports claim that the 26-year-old is not happy that Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz next year.

Leclerc’s entourage was reportedly shocked to hear about Hamilton’s arrival

According to Corriere dello Sport, Charles Leclerc and his entourage are “disappointed” by the news of Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari in 2025. The report adds that the Italian outfit’s decision “shocked” them as they had no idea that the Briton could sign for the team when Leclerc was negotiating his own contract.

Leclerc signed a new long-term deal with Ferrari, just a few days before the team confirmed that Hamilton would join them in 2025. However, there is no clarity available about whether Leclerc signed such an extension with the knowledge of Hamilton’s arrival or not.

On the same lines, another question that arises is whether Leclerc would have decided against signing an extension, had he known that Hamilton would join him at Ferrari in 2025. Although no one can know for sure what the chatter at Ferrari has been in the past few weeks, the only thing that seems certain is that the Prancing Horse are likely to have one of the most formidable driver line-ups next season.

Hamilton is a proven champion with seven titles and 103 race wins to his name. On the other hand, many experts believe that Leclerc is a future world champion, and all that the Monegasque needs is for Ferrari to deliver him a strong car.

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• Charles Leclerc
• ferrari
• Fred Vasseur
• Lewis Hamilton