Lewis Hamilton will join forces with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari next year.
Charles Leclerc has insisted that winning titles at Ferrari is his ‘only target’ in a thinly-veiled warning to future team-mate Lewis Hamilton. The latter will replace Carlos Sainz from next season onwards, having signed a multi-year deal with the historic Italian outfit.
Lewis Hamilton will be hoping to win a record-breaking eighth world title at Ferrari, who have failed to provide a champion since Kimi Raikkonen topped the standings in 2007. However, it seems that Leclerc is equally determined to assert himself as Ferrari’s prime contender.
Speaking for the first time since Hamilton’s impending move to Ferrari was confirmed, Leclerc said: “To win the championship, this is the only target I have. I’m only happy when I win, second place is not my target.
“You need to give yourself realistic targets as well, as much as we are always optimistic and try to do the best job possible. We all want to win but looking at where we are starting from last year, Red Bull had a big advantage, so now we need to close the gap as much as possible.
“We will do absolutely everything to try and do that step, that is our goal in order to challenge.”
It was reported earlier this week that Leclerc’s camp were unhappy with Ferrari’s decision to sign Hamilton for 2025. According to Corriere dello Sport, they only informed Leclerc about the Brit’s arrival once he had extended his own contract with the team beyond the end of 2024.
The move will also bring about the departure of Sainz, who has struck up a fruitful relationship with Leclerc since joining from McLaren in 2021. They have helped Ferrari to climb back up the grid following a difficult spell for the team, who finished sixth in the Constructors’ Championship the year before Sainz’s arrival.
“We have a very special relationship,” said Leclerc when quizzed on his outgoing Spanish team-mate. “I mean, we are obviously friends outside the track as well. We are sharing good moments. We spend so much time. I mean, I see Carlos more than my own family because we’ve got 24 races now.”
In spite of the potential for clashes between Leclerc and Hamilton next year, Piero Ferrari, a son of legendary team founder Enzo and a board member at Ferrari, recently played down the idea of any friction behind the scenes.
Speaking to Italian journalist Leo Turrini, he said: “Charles is the champion of the future, Ferrari believes in him and has proved it, I think. Hamilton is Hamilton. I don’t see why they should fight.”
