Charles Leclerc did not try to stop Lewis Hamilton from joining Ferrari, team boss Frederic Vasseur has revealed.
Hamilton’s deal from 2025 means not only the end of Carlos Sainz’s tenure at Maranello, but also an arguably tougher challenge for the incumbent Leclerc.
"I’ve always said that in my life there were two races I wanted to win - Monaco and Monza," Leclerc said this week at the Trento Sports Festival. "We managed to do it this year, but now my only goal is to win the world championship. I work only for this," added the almost 27-year-old.
It is well known just how close Vasseur is with Leclerc - but Ferrari’s French boss also has a long personal and professional relationship with seven time world champion Hamilton.
"Sometimes he (Leclerc) has made mistakes," Vasseur said at the same festival, "but it is part of his growth process."
He admits that pitching the idea of installing Hamilton, 39, as Leclerc’s next teammate was slightly awkward.
"Fred is not my girlfriend," grinned Leclerc, "but I knew about the negotiations with Lewis from very early and for me having him will be an additional challenge, given everything he has won.
"I am very happy that Hamilton is coming and I can’t wait because you can learn from every teammate. For me it will be a great opportunity to show what I can do in the car," said the Monegasque. "For sure, with Lewis, I will remove some doubts about certain things he can do."
Vasseur agrees: "Charles has always agreed on this (Hamilton’s arrival), and that led me to push hard for it to happen. But, strangely enough, it was not difficult to bring him to Maranello.
"And when I understood that Charles has always been positive towards Hamilton, because he understood that it is an opportunity for him, I pushed even harder."