Charles Leclerc doesn’t sound like a driver looking for driving “secrets” in Lewis Hamilton’s telemetry. He sounds like someone who’s been studying a master craftsman’s working day — the unglamorous stuff, the habits, the order of operations, the discipline that doesn’t show up on a highlight reel.
Speaking to Sky F1, Leclerc said Hamilton’s defining edge at Ferrari hasn’t been some universal cornering trick he can copy-and-paste across the calendar. It’s the way Hamilton goes about the job before he even gets near the cockpit.
“Since the day Lewis arrived in the team, for me, it was a huge opportunity to learn from him,” Leclerc explained. “I analysed every single thing he does as a preparation, all the way to when he jumps into the car.”
That choice of words matters. Leclerc is an established front-rank driver who’s spent years as Ferrari’s focal point. Yet with Hamilton alongside him for a second season, he’s openly describing himself as a student — not because he lacks speed, but because he recognises where sustained success in F1 tends to come from: repeatable routines under pressure, and an ability to hit the ground running regardless of noise around you.
Leclerc admitted the driving side is more situational — and that’s where the usual teammate comparisons live and die. “The driving, it’s more specific from track to track,” he said. “We’ve got our own strengths and sometimes I will look at him on a particular corner and I will analyse that, but that’s more specific track to track.”
In other words: there are things Hamilton does at certain corners that are worth a second look, but they’re not the foundation. The foundation is the approach.
“But I think the approach is what made him have all the success that he’s had in the past,” Leclerc added.
It’s a telling assessment from inside a Ferrari garage that, frankly, has needed more of that kind of repeatability. Hamilton arrived with the weight of a career that’s redefined modern F1: a seven-time world champion, the holder of the all-time grand prix wins record (105), and still chasing the eighth that would stand alone. Even for a team used to superstardom, that brings a different gravitational pull — and Leclerc’s comments suggest Hamilton’s influence is being felt not through status, but through process.
There’s also a competitive undertone here. Leclerc knows exactly what it means to have Hamilton as the reference on the other side of the debrief table. And so far, the numbers say he’s handled it.
Across 2025, Leclerc outscored Hamilton 242 points to 156. In 2026 to date, Leclerc has two podiums to Hamilton’s one, and he’s sitting third in the championship, 41 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli. This isn’t a young driver being flattered by proximity to a legend; it’s a driver performing strongly while still acknowledging there are layers he can add.
Hamilton, for his part, came to Maranello with unfinished business. Ferrari hasn’t won the constructors’ title since 2008, and the last drivers’ crown remains Kimi Räikkönen’s in 2007 — a drought that hangs over everything at the factory, regardless of how often it’s politely skirted in interviews. Hamilton’s move was billed as a mission to end that wait. Leclerc’s is more personal: the long, slow burn of being “Ferrari’s guy” and wanting the fairy tale ending.
Asked whether the dream still hits the same way after years in red, Leclerc didn’t hesitate.
“Ferrari is very special for me, not only today, but it’s always been the case my whole life,” he said. “It’s always been about the red car, even before I knew the Ferrari’s name.”
It’s the kind of line that could sound rehearsed from some drivers, but with Leclerc it tends to land closer to confession than slogan. He’s been with Ferrari since 2019, has eight grand prix wins to show for it, and still speaks like someone who measures seasons by what they didn’t quite become.
“I’m always as excited and as grateful as I was the first day I was announced as being a Ferrari driver,” he continued. “Driving for Ferrari is very special, but I would love to be winning a world championship with Ferrari.
“That’s what I’ve been working on since the first day I arrived here, and I really hope this will happen one day.”
For Ferrari, the most interesting part of all this isn’t the sentiment — it’s the dynamic. A Leclerc who’s scoring heavily and leading the internal fight, but also willing to strip his own habits down and rebuild them after watching Hamilton operate, is a dangerous proposition. Not just for Hamilton, but for the rest of the grid.
Because if Leclerc marries his peak pace with the kind of relentless, methodical week-to-week execution that defined Hamilton’s best years, Ferrari won’t just have two big names. It’ll have two different routes to the same destination — and, finally, a team culture that looks less like hope and more like intent.
